Nurse–patient communication: a quality assessment in public hospital

Background: Effective communication between nurses and patients is crucial in achieving health outcomes for patients in terms of nursing care.Therefore, the current situation regarding the nurse-patient communication and its associated factors at Bach Mai Hospital was addressed in this paper. Methods: A cross-sectional study was implemented on145 nurses from eight clinical departments Bach Mai hospital, Vietnam. Data analysis on the associated factors was performed via observations based on questionnaires constructed and validated by Health strategy and Policy Institute, Vietnam. Results: Only 12% of the nurses qualified for overall communication, and 16.1% of these nurses qualified in verbal communication, 12.2% qualified for intonation and gesture, and 11% qualified for being good at listening. Nurses with a longer duration of employment tended to have better communication (Coeff = 4.49, 95%CI: 0.13 − 8.56), afternoon and evening shifts were negatively associated with communication (Coeff = −3.45 and −3.75 (95 % CI: (−5.58) to (− 1.32) and (−5.87) to (−1.62), respectively). Moreover, nurses working in surgery divisions had better nurse-patient interaction compared to those working in internal medicine divisions (Coeff=21.59, 95%CI: 15.95−27.23). Conclusion: Our study provides further evidence concerning the current practices of nurse-patient communication aiming to improve the effectiveness of interaction between nurses and patients in clinical settings in Vietnam.