Introduction:
Doctor-patient communication is the cornerstone of patient care. Good communication is key to early and accurate diagnosis and therefore treatment. Studies have shown that improved physician-patient communication correlates with improved emotional well-being of patients and increased patient satisfaction. The aim of our study was to assess if we were effectively communicating with our patients.
Methods:
This was a multicentre study conducted in Bengaluru, India that included clinic or admitted patients (caregivers if patient was unable to) across medical and surgical subspecialities. The survey included 20 questions pertaining to patient details and their knowledge (or lack) of their current medical condition and treatment. Since the use of proton pump inhibitors (PPI) is rampant in our country, we also included 3 questions to analyse PPI use in our participants.
Results:
One hundred patients consented to answering the questionnaire. 52 % were females. The mean age of the study population was 46.4 years. 63 % of the participants were patients themselves and 37 % were their immediate caregivers. 97 % of the participants knew the names of their doctors, 99% knew what their diagnosis was. 84 % of the treating doctors were males of which 48 % were physicians and rest surgeons. 85% of the participants were aware of the estimated treatment costs and 15 % were not. 93% of the participants were happy with the treatment care. A subgroup analysis 58% of the patients were on proton pump inhibitors for a mean duration of 7.18 weeks. 31% of them had an upper GI endoscopy before initiation of treatment. 79 % of the patients had GI symptoms such as flatulence, heartburn, abdominal distention, indigestion, pain abdomen, burping or used as a prophylaxis with antibiotics.
Conclusions:
Our study suggests that the majority of all patients (or caregivers) were aware of their medical illness and costs associated with treating the same. This indicates effective communication between medical providers and patients. A large proportion of patients were on PPIs and less than 20% had a clear indication for its use. Most common cause of misuse was due to the patient's misconception that gas (flatulence) was the same as gastritis.
I have no potential conflict of interest to disclose.
I did not use generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process.