Medical culture and communication

Abstract

Miscommunication among providers more frequently contributes to medical error than lack of skill or knowledge. The consequences of miscommunication are well documented, but there is less knowledge about what factors contribute to physicians’ miscommunication. The purpose of this study was to explore if cultural communication variables found in other populations were evident in data obtained from a sample of physicians. Measurement of medical culture variables that contribute to physicians’ communication provides greater knowledge of potential sources of miscommunication among physicians. The variables were measured with survey data collected from a sample of anesthesiologists and surgeons. Fifty-nine respondents participated in this exploratory study of cultural communication variables. Confirmatory factor analysis, Pearson's correlation, and independent sample t-tests were used to analyze the data. The results suggested that there is evidence of cultural communication variables in the sample of anesthesiologists and surgeons and that the correlations among variables are similar to those found in other populations. In addition, there was evidence of cultural differences between medical specialties on variables that may contribute to physician miscommunication. Results from this study provide suggestions for development of effective medical training programs to reduce miscommunication among physicians.

Keywords:

• Teamwork
• Collaboration
• Medical culture
• Education
• Communication

Acknowledgements

This research was conducted at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center in Albuquerque, NM. The Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine and The Department of Surgery were primary contributors.

The research was conducted without financial support, but the authors wish to acknowledge assistance from physicians and communication scholars at the University of New Mexico.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Kristin Kirschbaum

Dr. Kris Kirschbaum received a PhD in health communication from the University of New Mexico. Her research examines alternative methods to improve collaboration among physicians in the operating room. Dr. Kirschbaum also teaches health communication to undergraduate and graduate students at East Carolina University.