The Attitudes of General Practitioners in Croatia Toward Interpersonal Communication and Adherence

Ana Gongola, Ivan Tanta, Nikša Sviličić

Abstract


The paper discusses the importance of adherence and the effect of interpersonal communication between the patient and the general practitioner on adherence. According to the World Health Organization, “adherence is the extent to which a person’s behaviour – taking medication, following a diet, and/or executing lifestyle changes, corresponds with the agreed recommendations of a healthcare provider”1. In order to verify the attitudes of general practitioners in Croatia about the importance of interpersonal communication and its influence on adherence, the authors conducted a survey of general practitioners during 2017 and 2018. This paper presents the results and conclusions of the study. According its results, general practitioners in Croatia consider education in the field of communication useful in the context of everyday communication with the patient. Most general practitioners apply the acquired knowledge in practice, however, they do not seem to believe that the improvement of their communication skills is crucially linked to better medication adherence of their patients. This finding points to the need for new research on the awareness of general practitioners about the extent of their own education and the significant influence they have on the patient’s adherence.   


Keywords*


adherence, interpersonal communication, general practitioners, Croatia

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