Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41324023›Full record

ArticleDialogues in health2025

Beyond technical skills: How communication shapes patient satisfaction in Ghana's healthcare system.

Mohammed Saani Abdulai, Eliasu Mumuni, Muhammed Abdulai

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Dialogues in health, 2025. 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. Article
  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

3 authors.

Mohammed Saani AbdulaiDepartment of Communication, Innovation and Technology, Faculty of Communication and Media Studies (FCMS), University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana.
Eliasu MumuniDepartment of Communication, Innovation and Technology, Faculty of Communication and Media Studies (FCMS), University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana.
Muhammed AbdulaiDepartment of Communication, Innovation and Technology, Faculty of Communication and Media Studies (FCMS), University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Purpose: Effective healthcare delivery depends not only on clinical expertise but also on the quality of communication and interpersonal relationships between healthcare providers and patients. Despite the recognized importance of these human-centered factors, limited research has explored their impact on patient satisfaction and service quality within the Ghanaian context. This study aims to examine the influence of communication competence and interpersonal relationships on patient satisfaction. This study examines how healthcare providers' communication competence and interpersonal relationships influence their perceived patient satisfaction with service delivery, thereby shifting attention from technical skills to the relational aspects of care. Methods: A sequential mixed-methods design was employed. The quantitative phase involved a survey of 250 healthcare professionals. The qualitative phase comprised in-depth interviews with 20 participants,10 patients, and 10 healthcare staff. Data was analyzed using multiple regression techniques for the quantitative component and thematic analysis for the qualitative component. Results: Verbal communication emerged as the most used method (70.4 %), followed by a combination of verbal and non-verbal strategies (19.6 %). Regression analysis revealed that both communication competence and interpersonal relationships had a significant impact on service quality and patient satisfaction. While interpersonal relationships displayed a negative coefficient in the regression model (B = -0.098) due to overlap with communication competence, qualitative findings confirmed that positive interpersonal interactions enhanced patient satisfaction. While technical skills contributed a smaller increase of 0.029. The Qualitative findings revealed that patients highly value empathetic communication, timely interactions, and non-verbal cues, such as physical touch and facial expressions, which enhance trust and satisfaction. Conclusions: The findings highlight the importance of integrating communication and interpersonal skills development into healthcare training and professional practice in Ghana. Strengthening these competencies can enhance patient experiences, improve health outcomes, and contribute to the overall quality of care delivery.

Indexed as

CommunicationHealth communicationHealth service deliveryMixed methodsPatient satisfaction

Identifiers

PMID41324023
PMCPMC12662079

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

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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.