Patient-healthcare Professional Dialog from the Patient's Perspective: Concept Analysis Based on Literature Review.

Abstract

Patient communication with healthcare professionals regarding their health is essential for patient engagement in healthcare; however, some medical professionals do not facilitate this process. This study aimed to analyze the concept of patient-healthcare professional dialog from the patient perspective, using Walker and Avant's eight stage methodology. The findings show that patient-healthcare professional dialog can be defined as the process in which patients exchange and share opinions with healthcare professionals who stay close to them, fostering a trusting partnership, while participating in the decision-making process regarding their medical care. The identified antecedents for dialog were the need for communication, time and space for dialog, and being acquainted with each other. Dialog determined the emergence of a desire for recovery and feelings of reassurance. This concept analysis has proven useful to understand patients in their entirety as individuals. It introduces a new framework for communication training programs, promoting patients' active involvement in their healthcare.