Perceived Level Of Nurse-To-Patient Communication And Associated Factors Among Admitted Patients At Ambo University Referral Hospital, Oromia, Ethiopia, 2021

Abstract

Background: The exchange of messages through both verbal and nonverbal means is known as communication. Information sharing and receiving between nurses and patients is hampered by communication barriers. To the best of my knowledge, the study area had very little information on the factors that determine it. The primary goal of this study is to evaluate how patients see nurses' communication with them and other relevant factors. Objective: To assess the perceived nurse-to-patient communication level and associated factors among Inpatients in Ambo University Referral Hospital, Oromia, Ethiopia, 2021. Methods: Institution-based cross-sectional mixed-methods (concurrent) study was conducted from July 26 to August 26, 2021, at Ambo University Referral Hospital. The study was conducted among 221 inpatients in the quantitative study. To collect data the structured questionnaire was used. Ethical clearance was secured from the IRB of Ambo University CMHS. The data collected were entered into Epi data version 3.1 and exported to SPSS version 25.0 for analysis. Bivariate analysis was used and variables with a p-value ≤ of 0.25 were examined using a multivariable logistic regression model to find the associations among variables. Variables having a p-value less than 0.05 with 95% CI were used to determine associated factors. The result was described through text, figures, tables, and charts. For the qualitative study, in-depth interviews were done by using unstructured questionnaires with up to 7 in-depth interviewee participants, and thematic analysis was used. Results: Among 217 participants, 152 (70%) of them were found to have a poor level of communication. The identified determinant factors were: unfamiliarity with the dialect of nurses (AOR= 2.535; 95% CI: 1.219-5.271), the workload of nurses, (AOR= 2.163; 95%CI: 1.074-4.354), lack of nurses’ communication skills (AOR= 4.245; 95% CI: 1.329-13.554), family interference (AOR= 2.089; 95%CI: 1.039-4.99) and unsuitable environment (AOR= 2.144; 95%CI: 1.035-4.440). Conclusion and recommendation: This study indicated that more than two third of the participants had poor perceptions of nurses’ communication. As a result, effective interventions should be implemented to overcome identified and increase inpatients’ and nurses’ awareness of effective communication suggested by participants.