In the evolution of medicine, an increasing number of patients, in particular with chronic disease or illness, is requiring treatment by healthcare providers from different disciplines. Two major trends emerge. First, diagnostic workups and treatments are increasingly organized on an outpatient basis, and, second, especially treatment and care is shifting towards primary care. Both trends increase the need for sharing information between specialists and general practitioners (GPs) to ensure continuity of care, in an integrated transmural model¹

Although a review of the literature revealed that face‐to‐face communication is recommended, in practice, written communication remains the most usual means of communication between healthcare professionals. Furthermore, there is a consensus about particular advantages of written communication over face‐to‐face communication.

Face‐to‐face communication is essential to get the full conversation. In face‐to‐face communication, all involved parties can not only hear what is being said but also they can see the body language and facial expressions that provide key information so they can better understand the meaning behind the words. In the past, this type of communication was only possible in person, but as technology advances there are more ways to have these face‐to‐face conversations¹

Violence erupts as a result of interacting factors encompassing staff behavior, patient behavior, hospital setting, professional roles, and waiting times. Patients and staff reported similar perceptions and emotions regarding the episodes of violence in which they were involved

Half of the reasons stated by physicians and nurses for violence eruption were related to patient dissatisfaction with the quality of service, the degree of staff professionalism, or an unacceptable comment of a staff member. In addition, data from the focus groups pointed to lack of understanding of the hospital system on the part of patients, together with poor communication between patients and providers and expectations gaps²

References:

1.  Vermeir, P., Vandijck, D., Degroote, S., Peleman, R., Verhaeghe, R., Mortier, E., Hallaert, G., Van Daele, S., Buylaert, W., … Vogelaers, D. (2015). Communication in healthcare: a narrative review of the literature and practical recommendations. International journal of clinical practice, 69(11), 1257-67.
2. Shafran-Tikva, S., Chinitz, D., Stern, Z., & Feder-Bubis, P. (2017). Violence against physicians and nurses in a hospital: How does it happen? A mixed-methods study. Israel journal of health policy research, 6(1), 59. doi:10.1186/s13584-017-0183-y