Rik Verhaeghe

Intraorganizational Communication and Job Satisfaction Among Flemish Hospital Nurses: An Exploratory Multicenter Study

Intraorganizational communication affects job satisfaction and turnover. The goal of this study was to explore relationships between communication and job satisfaction, intention to leave, and burnout among Flemish hospital nurses. A multicenter questionnaire study was conducted in three hospitals using the Communication Satisfaction Questionnaire, the Turnover Intention subscale of the Questionnaire on the Experience and Evaluation of Work, and the Maslach Burnout Inventory. A visual analog scale measured job satisfaction. The mean job satisfaction score was 7.49/10 (±1.43). Almost 7% of nurse participants (93/1,355) reported a high intent to leave, and 2.9% of the respondents (41/1,454) had a score indicative of burnout. All dimensions of communication were associated with job satisfaction. A low score on any dimension of communication satisfaction, except “Relationship With Employees,” was associated with higher intent to leave and burnout. Study findings support the need for management interventions to enhance efficient communication and ensure high-quality care and patient safety.

The patient perspective on the effects of medical record accessibility: a systematic review.

Background: Health care is shifting from a paternalistic to a participatory model, with increasing patient involvement. Medical record accessibility to patients may contribute significantly to patient comanagement. Objectives: To systematically review the literature on the patient perspective of effects of personal medical record accessibility on the individual patient, patient–physician relationship and quality of medical care. Methods: Screening of PubMed, Web of Science, Cinahl, and Cochrane Library on the keywords ‘medical record’, ‘patient record’, ‘communication’, ‘patient participation’, ‘doctor–patient relationship’, ‘physician–patient relationship’ between 1 January 2002 and 31 January 2016; systematic review after assessment for methodological quality. Results: Out of 557 papers screened, only 12 studies qualified for the systematic review. Only a minority of patients spontaneously request access to their medical file, in contrast to frequent awareness of this patient right and the fact that patients in general have a positive view on open visit notes. The majority of those who have actually consulted their file are positive about this experience. Access to personal files improves adequacy and efficiency of communication between physician and patient, in turn facilitating decision-making and self-management. Increased documentation through patient involvement and feedback on the medical file reduces medical errors, in turn increasing satisfaction and quality of care. Information improvement through personal medical file accessibility increased reassurance and a sense of involvement and responsibility. Conclusion: From the patient perspective medical record accessibility contributes to co-management of personal health care.

Patient perspectives on electronic health record accessibility and patient participation: a questionnaire survey

ABSTRACT Objectives To explore patient perceptions on personal comfort with participation in their own care process and on support of this patient participation through electronic health record (EHR) accessibility. Methods Explorative quantitative questionnaire study in ambulatory patients visiting the departments of General Internal Medicine or Head, Neck and Maxillo-Facial Surgery of a Belgian tertiary referral center. Results Patients were recruited by convenience sampling of 438 out of the total of 1270 patients visiting either one of these departments within a time period of two weeks. Overall response rate was 97.3% (n = 426; 45.3% male; mean age 42.5 ± 15.4 years). Most patients (89.7%) indicated a desire to make healthcare decisions in partnership with their physician. They were in need of transparent and comprehensible health information. The EHR was perceived as a suitable and effective means to inform patients about their health and to increase involvement in care and treatment (77.6%). Furthermore, access to the EHR was perceived to result in a more effective communication transfer between physician and patient (65.5%), increased patient compliance (64.3%), and satisfaction (57.4%). Conclusion Patients indicate a desire for proactive participation in their individual care process. They felt that medical record accessibility could support decision-making and assist in managing and coordinating individual and personalized care choices.

Job Satisfaction in Relation to Communication in Health Care Among Nurses: A Narrative Review and Practical Recommendations:

Worldwide, nurse shortage and high turnover rates are observed. Job satisfaction is a major determinant of retention and is influenced by intraorganizational communication and perceived communication satisfaction. This article presents a narrative review on communication satisfaction, job satisfaction, and their mutual relationship as well as their impact on turnover intention and burnout risk in the nursing profession. A literature search was conducted in the databases PubMed, Web of Science, and The Cochrane Library, and 47 articles were included. Descriptive analysis identified different types of social networks in the health care workplace. There is a positive association between communication and job satisfaction among nurses, translating into decreased turnover intention and burnout risk. Job satisfaction is required both for organizational stability as for coguaranteeing patient safety. This will be best achieved through an organization-wide multimodal prevention and intervention program, aimed at optimizing different modalities of interprofessional communication, workload, and job satisfaction.