The Importance of Medical-Sick Relationship and Communication in the Satisfaction of the User in Portugal. A Systematic Review

Abstract

Objective: With this work, we aim to study the role and importance of key indicator EUROPEP (European Task Force Evaluation of General Practice) "Relationship and communication" and its determinants on user’s satisfaction in primary healthcare. Methods: A literature review was performed, without meta-analysis, to "determine the importance of the Relationship and communication "and its determinants on patient satisfaction with their family doctor", in Portugal [2009-2016]. The research strategy was performed in order to identify studies to be included and comprised an electronic search in five databases (the Portuguese Scientific Repository of Open Access , the Portuguese Health Portal, Academic Google, Pubmed and B-ON). Results: Of the 1036 articles resulting from the literature review, we analyzed only 6 that met the inclusion and exclusion criteria outlined in the methodology of this article. Their analysis showed relatively consistent results across studies regarding the “Relationship and Communication” dimension. Conclusions: The included studies enabled to identify the determinants of doctor-patient communication that influence the satisfaction of the latest, and to conclude that patients have the highest level of satisfaction in the EUROPEP questionnaire “Relationship and Communication” parameter.