Are physician-patient communication practices slowly changing in Croatia? – a cross-sectional questionnaire study

AIM: To explore physician-patient communication practices during the process of obtaining informed consent in a hospital setting in Croatia. METHODS: Two hundred and fifty patients (response rate 78%) from five tertiary level hospitals in Zagreb, Croatia, anonymously filled in the questionnaire on informed consent and communication practices by Nemcekova et al in the period from April to December 2011. RESULTS: Eighty five percent of patients received complete, understandable information, presented in a considerate manner. Patients in surgical departments received a higher level of information than those in internal medicine departments. Patients were informed about health risks of the proposed treatments (in 74% of cases) and procedures (76%), health consequences of refusing a medical intervention (69%), and other methods of treatment (46%). However, patients pointed out a number of problems in physician-patient communication. CONCLUSION: Communication practices during informed consent-obtaining process in hospitals in Zagreb are based on a model of shared decision-making, but paternalistic physician-patient relationship is still present. Our results indicate that Croatia is undergoing a transition in the physician-patient relationship and communication.