Patient and healthcare provider knowledge, attitudes and barriers to handover and healthcare communication during chronic disease inpatient care in India: a qualitative exploratory study

Objectives 1) To investigate patient and healthcare provider (HCP) knowledge, attitudes and barriers to handover and healthcare communication during inpatient care. 2) To explore potential interventions for improving the storage and transfer of healthcare information.Design Qualitative study compris...

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Main Authors: Prabhakaran Dorairaj, Sheila Greenfield, Paramjit Gill, Richard Lilford, Sanjeev K Singh, Claire Humphries, Semira Manaseki-Holland, Suganthi Jaganathan, Jeemon Panniyammakal, Shifalika Goenka
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMJ Publishing Group 2019-11-01
Series:BMJ Open
Online Access:https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/9/11/e028199.full
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author Prabhakaran Dorairaj
Sheila Greenfield
Paramjit Gill
Richard Lilford
Sanjeev K Singh
Claire Humphries
Semira Manaseki-Holland
Suganthi Jaganathan
Jeemon Panniyammakal
Shifalika Goenka
author_facet Prabhakaran Dorairaj
Sheila Greenfield
Paramjit Gill
Richard Lilford
Sanjeev K Singh
Claire Humphries
Semira Manaseki-Holland
Suganthi Jaganathan
Jeemon Panniyammakal
Shifalika Goenka
author_sort Prabhakaran Dorairaj
collection DOAJ
description Objectives 1) To investigate patient and healthcare provider (HCP) knowledge, attitudes and barriers to handover and healthcare communication during inpatient care. 2) To explore potential interventions for improving the storage and transfer of healthcare information.Design Qualitative study comprising 41 semi-structured, individual interviews and a thematic analysis using the Framework Method with analyst triangulation.Setting Three public hospitals in Himachal Pradesh and Kerala, India.Participants Participants included 20 male (n=10) and female (n=10) patients with chronic non-communicable disease (NCD) and 21 male (n=15) and female (n=6) HCPs. Purposive sampling was used to identify patients with chronic NCDs (cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease, diabetes or hypertension) and HCPs.Results Patient themes were (1) public healthcare service characteristics, (2) HCP to patient communication and (3) attitudes regarding medical information. HCP themes were (1) system factors, (2) information exchange practices and (3) quality improvement strategies. Both patients and HCPs recognised public healthcare constraints that increased pressure on hospitals and subsequently limited consultation times. Systemic issues reported by HCPs were a lack of formal handover systems, training and accessible hospital-based records. Healthcare management communication during admission was inconsistent and lacked patient-centredness, evidenced by varying reports of patient information received and some dissatisfaction with lifestyle advice. HCPs reported that the duty of writing discharge notes was passed from senior doctors to interns or nurses during busy periods. A nurse reported providing predominantly verbal discharge instructions to patients. Patient-held medical documents facilitated information exchange between HCPs, but doctors reported that they were not always transported. HCPs and patients expressed positive views towards the idea of introducing patient-held booklets to improve the organisation and transfer of medical documents.Conclusions Handover and healthcare communication during chronic NCD inpatient care is currently suboptimal. Structured information exchange systems and HCP training are required to improve continuity and safety of care during critical transitions such as referral and discharge. Our findings suggest that patient-held booklets may also assist in enhancing handover and patient-centred practices.
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spelling doaj-art-2d6955cd7d3b4f8287e83f5d99ed38042025-08-20T02:28:26ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open2044-60552019-11-0191110.1136/bmjopen-2018-028199Patient and healthcare provider knowledge, attitudes and barriers to handover and healthcare communication during chronic disease inpatient care in India: a qualitative exploratory studyPrabhakaran Dorairaj0Sheila Greenfield1Paramjit Gill2Richard Lilford3Sanjeev K Singh4Claire Humphries5Semira Manaseki-Holland6Suganthi Jaganathan7Jeemon Panniyammakal8Shifalika Goenka93 Public Health Foundation of India, New Delhi, India1 Institute of Applied Health Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK16 Warwick Centre for Global Health, University of Warwick, Coventry, UKprofessor of clinical epidemiologyDepartment of Infection Control and Epidemiology, Amrita Institute of Medical Science, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Kochi, Kerala, India1 Institute of Applied Health Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UKUniversity of Birmingham, Birmingham, UKInstitute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden2 Centre for Chronic Disease Control, Gurgaon, Haryana, Indiaprofessor of public health ethicsObjectives 1) To investigate patient and healthcare provider (HCP) knowledge, attitudes and barriers to handover and healthcare communication during inpatient care. 2) To explore potential interventions for improving the storage and transfer of healthcare information.Design Qualitative study comprising 41 semi-structured, individual interviews and a thematic analysis using the Framework Method with analyst triangulation.Setting Three public hospitals in Himachal Pradesh and Kerala, India.Participants Participants included 20 male (n=10) and female (n=10) patients with chronic non-communicable disease (NCD) and 21 male (n=15) and female (n=6) HCPs. Purposive sampling was used to identify patients with chronic NCDs (cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease, diabetes or hypertension) and HCPs.Results Patient themes were (1) public healthcare service characteristics, (2) HCP to patient communication and (3) attitudes regarding medical information. HCP themes were (1) system factors, (2) information exchange practices and (3) quality improvement strategies. Both patients and HCPs recognised public healthcare constraints that increased pressure on hospitals and subsequently limited consultation times. Systemic issues reported by HCPs were a lack of formal handover systems, training and accessible hospital-based records. Healthcare management communication during admission was inconsistent and lacked patient-centredness, evidenced by varying reports of patient information received and some dissatisfaction with lifestyle advice. HCPs reported that the duty of writing discharge notes was passed from senior doctors to interns or nurses during busy periods. A nurse reported providing predominantly verbal discharge instructions to patients. Patient-held medical documents facilitated information exchange between HCPs, but doctors reported that they were not always transported. HCPs and patients expressed positive views towards the idea of introducing patient-held booklets to improve the organisation and transfer of medical documents.Conclusions Handover and healthcare communication during chronic NCD inpatient care is currently suboptimal. Structured information exchange systems and HCP training are required to improve continuity and safety of care during critical transitions such as referral and discharge. Our findings suggest that patient-held booklets may also assist in enhancing handover and patient-centred practices.https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/9/11/e028199.full
spellingShingle Prabhakaran Dorairaj
Sheila Greenfield
Paramjit Gill
Richard Lilford
Sanjeev K Singh
Claire Humphries
Semira Manaseki-Holland
Suganthi Jaganathan
Jeemon Panniyammakal
Shifalika Goenka
Patient and healthcare provider knowledge, attitudes and barriers to handover and healthcare communication during chronic disease inpatient care in India: a qualitative exploratory study
BMJ Open
title Patient and healthcare provider knowledge, attitudes and barriers to handover and healthcare communication during chronic disease inpatient care in India: a qualitative exploratory study
title_full Patient and healthcare provider knowledge, attitudes and barriers to handover and healthcare communication during chronic disease inpatient care in India: a qualitative exploratory study
title_fullStr Patient and healthcare provider knowledge, attitudes and barriers to handover and healthcare communication during chronic disease inpatient care in India: a qualitative exploratory study
title_full_unstemmed Patient and healthcare provider knowledge, attitudes and barriers to handover and healthcare communication during chronic disease inpatient care in India: a qualitative exploratory study
title_short Patient and healthcare provider knowledge, attitudes and barriers to handover and healthcare communication during chronic disease inpatient care in India: a qualitative exploratory study
title_sort patient and healthcare provider knowledge attitudes and barriers to handover and healthcare communication during chronic disease inpatient care in india a qualitative exploratory study
url https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/9/11/e028199.full
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