Checking the relationship between physicians’ communication skills and outpatients’ satisfaction in the clinics of Isfahan Al-Zahra(S) Hospital in 2011

INTRODUCTION: The quality of communication skills of health care providers has a significant impact on patient treatment consequences. AIMS: The present research has been conducted to check the relationship of communication skills on the rate of patients’ satisfaction in the clinics of one of the hospitals in Isfahan. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: The checking list was completed by the researcher in the clinics by using the comments of patients or their relatives. Sampling was performed by using the regular random sampling method. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This research was a descriptive-analytical study. The used tool was a standard checking list for evaluating the patients’ satisfaction and also the researcher-made checking list for the measurement of effective communication skills. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: The researcher-made checking list for the measurement of effective communication skills was confirmed by the experts with the face validity, structure, content, and reliability (α =87%). After visiting the patient by the physician, the mentioned list was filled by using the patients’ comments, and the collected data was analyzed by SPSS software version 16 with calculating the Pearson correlation coefficient and α2. RESULTS: The study showed that there was a significant relationship between the application of communication skills in the five areas of verbal, body language, effective communicating, establishment, patient privacy and patient participation, except for eye communication of the physician with patients’ satisfaction (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Using the communication skills by physicians is associated with patients’ satisfaction, and it is the cause of increasing the acceptance of the physician by the patient. Therefore, it is suggested that the opportunity to improve the communication skills should be provided in addition to clinical skills in continuing education programs for the medical community.