Describing medical consultations and finding common ground in Tororo Hospital, Eastern Uganda

Abstract

Background: Patient-centeredness is essential to healthcare provision worldwide. Finding common ground between healthcare providers and their patients is an important component of patient-centered care, increasing patient satisfaction and adherence, leading to better patient outcomes. In Uganda, low levels of information provision and patient satisfaction with healthcare provision have been reported in Tororo District Hospital (TDH) compared with other public health facilities in the country.
Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the healthcare provider - patient interaction in the medical consultations, with the aim of establishing factors associated with finding common ground.
Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study design was done, using quantitative methods. Data from adults attending the outpatient clinics was collected using an interviewer-administered structured questionnaire and analyzed using bivariate and multivariate logistic regression.
Results: Of the patients that attended TDH, a primary care facility, 59% attended as a first visit for their complaint and 82.5% did not know the name of their healthcare provider. The providers were mainly males (65.9%) and used the language that the patient understood (97.8%). The factors associated with finding common ground were: patient’s age between 25–54 years (p=0.002), patients with formal employment (p=0.005), married (p = 0.043), taking less than one hour to reach the health facility regardless of the means
of transport used (p=0.048), knowing the name of their healthcare provider (p=0.000) as well as the healthcare provider being male (p=0.000).
Conclusion: The level of finding common ground between healthcare providers and their patients in medical consultations in TDH was at 41.3%. Six patients or healthcare provider attributes were associated with finding common ground.