Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39696408›Full record

ArticleBMC health services research2024

Obstacles to effective communication between physical/occupational therapists and patients in the Saudi Arabian context: a cross-sectional study.

Turki Aljuhani, Abrar M Al-Mutairi, Abdullah Alfraih, Mohammed Alharbi, Turki AlAmri, Ali Alahmari, Abdulaziz Alotaibi, Mohammed Senitan

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC health services research, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Turki AljuhaniDepartment of Occupational Therapy, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Juhanit@ksau-hs.edu.sa.
Abrar M Al-MutairiResearch Unit, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Abdullah AlfraihKing Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Mohammed AlharbiKing Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Turki AlAmriKing Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Ali AlahmariKing Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Abdulaziz AlotaibiDepartment of Occupational Therapy, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Mohammed SenitanDepartment of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Saudi Electronic University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundEffective communication between healthcare providers and patients is essential for high-quality care and patient satisfaction. Barriers to communication can lead to misunderstandings and poorer health outcomes. This study aims to identify communication obstacles between physical/occupational therapists (PTs/OTs) and patients in the Saudi Arabian context.

methodsThis cross-sectional study, which was conducted from September 2022 to January 2023, involved 228 patients and 46 therapists from the rehabilitation services department. Data were collected via two self-administered questionnaires and analyzed via Pearson's chi-square test of independence and Fisher's exact test for categorical nominal data to assess associations between variables. A p value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

resultsMost patients (25.4%) were young adults aged 18-30 years, predominantly Saudi nationals (96.5%), with undergraduate degrees (63%). High satisfaction with therapists was reported by 69.3% of patients. The key barriers identified included limited consultation time (15.8%) and the use of medical records (4.8%). Therapists, primarily young professionals aged 25-30 years (54.3%) with 3-5 years of experience (43.5%), also reported time limitations (30.4%), physical setup issues (37.0%), and poor patient history-taking (56.5%) as significant barriers. Additional findings from our study indicated that monolingual Arabic-speaking therapists faced greater challenges in understanding language (p = 0.02), and younger therapists (aged 25-30) reported greater difficulties in managing multiple problems during sessions (p = 0.03), highlighting age and linguistic background as significant factors influencing communication efficacy.

conclusionsAddressing communication barriers through targeted interventions, such as enhanced training, improved clinical structures, and advanced electronic health records, can improve patient satisfaction and treatment outcomes. Future research should focus on longitudinal studies and specific communication training programs.

Indexed as

Physical TherapistsAdolescentAdultCommunicationCommunication BarriersCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedOccupational TherapistsPatient SatisfactionProfessional-Patient RelationsSaudi ArabiaSurveys and QuestionnairesYoung AdultCommunication barriersCross-sectional studyOccupational therapistsPatient satisfactionPhysical therapistsRehabilitationSaudi Arabia

Identifiers

PMID39696408
PMCPMC11653678

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.