Short summary

The importance of the quality of the ultra-brief contact between patient and biomedical laboratory scientist is poorly illuminated. Three studies will be conducted in order to improve relations and communication in the ultra-brief contact.

Rationale

Good quality of communication between patient and health professionals entails larger benefit from treatment, higher satisfaction with treatment, higher quality of life and better physical and mental functioning. At the opposite, poor communication has a negative impact on patient satisfaction, quality of life, and safety and is associated with an increased risk of not receiving the right treatment and care. Complaints in health care are often due to poor communication between patient and health professionals. At the same time, health professionals may experience higher job satisfaction with less work-related stress because of good communication with the patient.

The Danish healthcare system is increasingly characterized by the fact that the contact between patient and health professionals is short. That is why special attention should be on communication between patient and health professionals. This research project is about the ultra-brief meeting between patient and Biomedical Laboratory Scientist when collecting a blood test, which is one of the most common procedures performed on patients.

However, little is known about the communication in the ultra-brief meeting. The ultra-brief meeting can be defined as a meeting between a health professional and a patient, with the focus on performing a specific and limited task - in this study when colleting a blood test. The meeting usually stands alone, has a short duration, (usually 5-10 minutes), the health professional does not have access to the patient's record, does not know the background of the meeting, and there is no follow up.

For the patient, a visit at the outpatient biomedical laboratory setting might be the first time they meet the health professionals and the hospital. At the same time, about 80% of the patients answering a survey in America said their blood collection experience influenced their satisfaction with the hospital. Therefore, the communication culture when collecting a blood test may influence the patients' satisfaction of and outcome of the treatment in general.

In nursing, knowing the patient, and understanding their individual needs, expectations and preferences, are emphasized in order to be able to provide the best care. This is difficult for biomedical laboratory scientist, as they often have not met the patient before and do not know the background for the blood test Furthermore, the primary focus of training in blood testing is the stitching technique and quality assurance of the sample material with a number of established procedures, standards and regulations.

Description of the cohort

Study A: Hospital personnel at the biomedical departments in public hospitals in Denmark.

Study B: Adult patients with different diagnosis and experiences from different departments in public hospitals in Denmark.

Data and biological material

Study A: questionnaire

Study B: interview