Data on Patient-Provider Communication and Disparities Now Available

Data on Patient-Provider Communication and Disparities Now Available

AHRQ Chartbook Reports Modest Improvements in Patient-Provider Communication

Health providers are paying more attention to communicating effectively with patients and their families about their care. One measure, communication between patients and hospital staff about getting discharged from the hospital, improved each year between 2009 and 2013. While none of the measures improved quickly, none showed worsening quality.

Certain groups, however, reported worse quality of patient-centered care. These include poor patients compared with high-income patients, blacks compared with whites, and Hispanics compared with whites. Disparities increased for four measures of communication surrounding end-of-life care.

These are findings from AHRQ’s newly released Chartbook on Patient- and Family-Centered Care. Of the 20 measures of patient-centered care collected in the report, 17 showed improvement and three showed no change.

To access the Chartbook on Patient- and Family-Centered Care, select: http://www.ahrq.gov/research/findings/nhqrdr/2014chartbooks/personcentered/index.html.

To access the 2014 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report, including other Chartbooks, select:http://www.ahrq.gov/research/findings/nhqrdr/index.html.

To access AHRQ resources to improve engagement between clinicians and patients, select: http://www.ahrq.gov/professionals/quality-patient-safety/patient-family-engagement/index.html.