The Role and Importance of Medical Communication at Various Levels of Healthcare from an Economic Perspective
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58423/2786-6742/2024-7-119-129Keywords:
health communication, value-based healthcare, language barrier, patient safety, economic waste, cost-efficiencyAbstract
The goal of the modern healthcare system and medical interventions is to improve patients' health. Patient care based on value-based healthcare inherently involves the efficiency of the healthcare system, which fundamentally relies on seamless and effective communication between the parties involved. Despite this, the exploration, analysis, and evaluation of the economic significance of medical communication show significant gaps, even though communication difficulties pose serious challenges, negatively impacting both patient safety and healthcare providers' expenses. This article is the result of a general literature review aimed at uncovering the role and importance of medical communication in ensuring patient safety, avoiding damages caused by adverse events to both patients and healthcare institutions, reducing costs, and assessing the Hungarian population’s opinion on the quality of medical communication. The research findings revealed correlations between patients’ experiences, the care process, and outcomes. More positive experiences are associated with greater adherence to prevention and treatment processes. Inadequate doctor-patient communication and reduced patient autonomy in decision-making affect clinical efficiency and safety. In Hungary, the proportion of positive experiences regarding doctor-patient communication and patient involvement in decision-making falls short of the OECD average. Exploring communication problems and their consequences facilitates better interactions between doctors and patients, doctors and healthcare workers, diagnosis, and treatment, reducing complications and the likelihood of requiring further care. This has a positive impact on the expenses of healthcare providers, the retention of healthcare workers, and increasing patient satisfaction. In Hungary there is a need for empirical research that highlights the impact of healthcare communication on the costs of healthcare institutions.
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