Patient-professional interaction assessed by frequent attenders
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.23990/sa.107362Keywords:
patient-professional relationship, frequent attender, health services need and demand, interactionAbstract
Frequent attendance causes challenges for the patient and the healthcare system when patients seek care that meets their needs. Interaction is important in encounters between the patient and healthcare professionals. The aim of the study was to compare short-term frequent attenders (lFAs) and long-term frequent attenders (pFAs) perceptions of interaction with healthcare professionals. Also, the equivalence of the factor structure of the Patient-Professional Interaction Questionnaire was tested across lFAs and pFAs. The data were collected from a city’s pFAs (n = 234) and lFAs (n = 261) in January–July 2020. The questionnaire consisted of 16 items that comprise four factors: effective communication, interest in the patient’s agenda, empathy, and patient involvement in care. Each factor consists of four items. The data were analysed using Pearson Chi-square test, mean and standard deviation, Mann–Whitney U test, Cronbach’s alpha, and multiple group confirmatory factor analysis (MGCFA). pFAs evaluated interaction with healthcare professionals more poorly compared to lFAs. Patient involvement in care was a central factor in interaction assessed by pFAs. According to MGCFA, the factor structure and the factor loadings were identical, but the responses to each item varied between pFAs and lFAs. Functional interaction between frequent attenders and healthcare professionals is an important part of patient-centred healthcare services.
