Internal Communication in Primary Care Centres in Spain

Authors

  • Alina Danet Escuela Andaluza de Salud Pública. Granada
  • Joan Carles March Cerdá Escuela Andaluza de Salud Pública. Granada
  • María Ángeles Prieto Escuela Andaluza de Salud Pública. Granada
  • Olivia Pérez Escuela Andaluza de Salud Pública. Granada
  • Sergio Minué Escuela Andaluza de Salud Pública. Granada

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.35669/revistadecomunicacionysalud.2011.1(1).19-31

Keywords:

internal communication; primary care; qualitative methodology; quantitative methodology

Abstract

Internal Communication (IC) is an essential part of healthcare management and professional performance in Primary Care (PC). The object of this study is to describe and compare IC in PC centres . Internal audits were carried out through 16 semi-structured interviews and 1,183 questionnaires which were self-administered by PC professionals from 4 different regions in Spain. A simple random sample design was used to obtain three independent samples from each Healthcare Service representing each professional category, for a “p” of 7 0% and a 5% overall error for each sample . The analysis uses the “ Stu dent’s t” a nd the one-way ANO VA tests, considering significant differences between the means with a significance level below 0.05. A heterogeneous perception of the quality of IC is observed: a third of the sample considered it “ very bad” and “bad”, another third “neither good nor bad” and the remainder “good” and “very good”. Interpersonal sources and channels are used for receiving or sending information (81.8% of those polled use them). Colleagues (59.1% of all answers) and management (46.9%) are the most common sources for receiving information. The channels used are work group meetings (54.3%) and informal conversations (49.6%). The most common subject matter of the information received concerns the centre’s objectives (52.6%) and training (52%). We can conclude that achieving good IC management i n PC requires a combination of technological elements, management involvement and proper functioning of interpersonal sources and channels.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Andreu, A. (1996). Comunicación interna, un paseo por el tiempo. Harvard Deusto Business Review. Vol. 70, pp. 48-63.
Andreu, A. (1998). La batalla de la comunicación interna. Harvard-Deusto Business Review. Vol. 82, pp. 48-60.
Apker, J.; Propp, K.M.; Zabava Ford, W.S. y Hofmeister, N. (2006). Collaboration, credibility, compassion, and coordination: professional nurse communication skill sets in health care team interactions. Journal of Professional Nursing. Vol. 22, nº 3, pp. 180-189.
Arribas, A. (2000). Comunicación en la empresa: la importancia de la información interna en la empresa. Revista Latina de Comunicación Social. Vol. 27.
Barranco, F.J. y Fernández, P.I. (1992). La comunicación interna en la empresa. Capital Humano. Vol. 41, pp. 56.
Barranco, F.J. (1993). La comunicación interna en la empresa. En Barranco F.J. Planificación estratégica de recursos humanos: del marketing interno a la planificación. Madrid: Pirámide.
Bilbao, I.; March, J.C. y Prieto, M.A. (2002). Diez aportaciones del empleo de la metodología cualitativa en una auditoría de comunicación interna en Atención Primaria. Revista Española de Salud Pública. Vol. 76, pp. 483-492.
Cabañas, C. (2004). Los mandos intermedios son una pieza clave en el proceso de comunicación. Capital Humano. Vol. 17, nº 174, pp. 36-42.
Fitzsimmons, P. y White, T. (1997). Crossing boundaries: communication between professional groups. Source Journal of Management in Medicine. Vol. 11, nº 2, pp. 96-101.
Gali, J.M. (2008). Comunicación interna. Farmacia Profesional. Vol 22, pp. 26-27.
García, J.; Ruiz, A. y Ventura, R. (1998). La auditoría de comunicación interna: una aproximación conceptual y metodológica. Revista Latina de Comunicación Social. Vol. 18.
Gascó, M. y Rabassa, N. (1999). Marketing interno mix: análisis de la variable de comunicación interna I. Capital Humano. Vol 12, nº 122, pp. 38-48.
Gonzalo, P. (2004). Comunicación interna: hacia un nuevo diálogo con los profesionales. Harvard-Deusto Business Review. Vol. 128, pp. 54-59.
Hargie, O. y Tourish, D. (1993). Assessing the effectiveness of communication in organisations: the communication audit approach. Health Services Management Research. Vol. 6, nº 4, pp.276-325.
Heaven, C.; Clegg, J. y Maguire, P. (2006). Transfer of communication skills training from workshop to workplace: the impact of clinical supervision. Patient Education and Counseling. Vol. 60, nº 3, pp. 313-325.
Herman, H.; Trauer, T. y Warnock, J. (2002). The roles and relationships of psychiatrists and other service providers in mental health services. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry. Vol. 36, nº 1, pp. 75-80.
Kart, J.C. y Tovar, P. (1996). Gestión de la comunicación interna: una experiencia hospitalaria. Capital Humano. Vol. 95, pp. 42-49.
Mahmood-Yousuf, K.; Munday, D.; King, N. y Dale, J. (2008). Interprofessional relationships and communication in primary palliative care: impact of the Gold Standards Framework. British Journal of General Practice. Vol. 58, nº 549, pp. 256-263.
March. J.C. et al. (2009). Mapa emocional de equipos de Atención Primaria en Andalucía. Atención Primaria. Vol. 41, nº 2, pp. 69-75.
Molyneux, J. (2001). Interprofesional teamworking: what makes teams work well? Journal of Interprofessional Care. Vol 15, nº 1, pp. 29-35.
Pajares, D.; March, J.C. y Gómez, M.E. (1998). Auditoría de comunicación interna de un hospital. Gaceta Sanitaria. Vol. 12, nº 5, pp. 231-238.
Pastor, G. (2002). La comunicación interna: ¿una asignatura pendiente en nuestras administraciones públicas? Capital Humano. Vol. 15, nº 153, pp. 74-78.
Philipp, R. y Dodwell, P. (2005). Improved communication between doctors and with managers would benefit professional integrity and reduce the occupational medicine workload. Occupational Medicine. Vol. 55, nº 1, pp. 40-47.
Pollard, K.C.; Miers, M.E.; Gilchrist, M. et al. (2006). A comparison of interprofessional perceptions and working relationships among health and social care students: the results of a 3-year intervention. Health and Social Care in the Community. Vol. 14, nº 6, pp. 541-542.
Prieto, M.A.; March, J.C.; Oleaga, J.I.; Siló, F.; Pérez, G. y Cervera, A. (1993). Plan de comunicación interna del plan estratégico de un hospital. Administración Sanitaria. Vol. 3, nº 3, pp. 99-109.
Robson, M. y Kitchen, S.S. (2007). Exploring physiotherapy students' experiences of interprofessional collaboration in the clinical setting: a critical incident study. Journal of Interprofessional Care. Vol. 21, nº 14, pp. 95-109.
Simpson, A. (2007). The impact of team processes on psychiatric case management. Journal of Advanced Nursing. Vol. 60, nº 4, pp. 409-418.
Somoza, F. (1995). La comunicación interna, instrumento de motivación de la empresa. Alta Dirección. Vol. 179, pp. 37-43.
Villares, J.E.; Ruiz, A.; López, M.P. y Sáinz, R. (2000). La satisfacción profesional en el equipo de atención primaria: oportunidades de mejora. Cuadernos de Gestión. Vol. 6, pp. 60-67.
Werther, W.B.; Davis, K. Jr. y Woodard, D. (1992). Transformational leaders. Health Progress. Vol. 44.
Wesphalen, M.H. (1993). La dirección de comunicación. Madrid: El Prado.
Zwarenstein, M.; Reeves, S.; Russell, A. et al. (2007). Structuring communication relationships for interprofessional teamwork (SCRIPT): a cluster randomized controlled trial. Trials. Vol. 8, pp. 23-37.

How to Cite

Danet, Alina, Joan Carles March Cerdá, María Ángeles Prieto, Olivia Pérez, and Sergio Minué. 2011. “Internal Communication in Primary Care Centres in Spain”. Revista de Comunicación y Salud 1 (1):19-31. https://doi.org/10.35669/revistadecomunicacionysalud.2011.1(1).19-31.

Issue

Section

Articles

Similar Articles

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.