ABSTRACT
Quality communication between patients and healthcare professionals is a crucial component of patient-centered care. Effective patient–professional communication fosters patient satisfaction, trust, and clinical adherence and serves as a fundamental requirement for attaining desirable healthcare outcomes. Patients are essential stakeholders in the healthcare system, so the quality of communication between patients and healthcare professionals at every level is significant. In this chapter, we will review key concepts related to patient–professional communication, including theories and the application of human factors approaches to study and improve communication. We will share how communication can be measured, which is particularly important from both a research and a healthcare operations perspective. We will then discuss the role of digital channels in influencing communication, including the electronic health record (EHR), channels for text communication including secure messaging, email, and text messaging, and newer models of care using video functionality. Throughout the chapter, we will follow our case example as our patient, Lee, engages in care for her chronic illness to exemplify the points. We will conclude with applied research-based case studies that use a human factors approach to understand the impact of health information technologies on patient–professional communication.
