Laboratory Staff Communication and Patient Perception of Care: The Mediating Effect of Patient Understanding in Public Hospitals
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37641/jimkes.v14i2.5115Keywords:
Clarity, Empathy, Patient Perception, Patient Understanding, Staff CommunicationAbstract
Effective communication is a critical component of healthcare services, as it enhances patient understanding and shapes perceptions of care quality. Laboratory departments, as medical support units, interact directly with patients, particularly during the pre-analytical phase, making the quality of laboratory staff communication essential. This study aims to examine the effect of laboratory staff communication, represented by clarity and empathy, on patient perception of care, with patient understanding of laboratory procedure as a mediating variable. A quantitative approach with a cross-sectional survey design was employed. Data were collected from 251 patients who received laboratory services at a Type C public hospital in Indonesia and analyzed using Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results indicate that empathy has a positive and significant effect on patient understanding of laboratory procedure, whereas clarity does not show a significant effect. Furthermore, clarity, empathy, and patient understanding of laboratory procedures significantly influence patient perception of care. These findings highlight that empathetic communication plays a key role in improving patient understanding, while communication clarity strengthens positive perceptions of laboratory service quality. This study provides practical implications for hospital management to enhance laboratory staff communication competencies as part of quality improvement strategies.
Downloads
References
Abraham, C., & Junglas, I. (2011). From cacophony to harmony: A case study about the IS implementation process as an opportunity for organizational transformation at Sentara Healthcare. The Journal of Strategic Information Systems, 20(2), 177-197.
Agbi, F. A., Lulin, Z., & Asamoah, E. O. (2023). Quality of communication between healthcare providers and pregnant women: impact on maternal satisfaction, health outcomes, and shared decision-making. Trends J Sci Res, 2(1), 3-10.
Aggarwal, N. K., Pieh, M. C., Dixon, L., Guarnaccia, P., Alegria, M., & Lewis-Fernandez, R. (2016). Clinician descriptions of communication strategies to improve treatment engagement by racial/ethnic minorities in mental health services: A systematic review. Patient education and counseling, 99(2), 198-209.
Alanazi, A. N. M., Nubayri, A. A. M., Alenezi, W. G. M., Alanazi, A. A. F., Alanazi, B. A. F., Alenezi, M. M. H., ... & Alanzi, H. A. F. (2024). The effect of interprofessional communication between nurses, laboratory technicians, and radiology staff on diagnostic accuracy. The Review of Diabetic Studies, 2(5), 506–520.
Alreshidi, M. R., Alshammari, A. S. S., Alruwaili, M. O. H., Alruwaill, H. G., Al-Shammari, H. K. H., Al-Shammari, A. M., ... & Alanzy, N. M. A. (2024). Effective communication between nurses and patients and its impact on healthcare. The Review of Diabetic Studies, 2(5), 589–610.
Alshammari, J. D. G., Alzabni, M. S. D., Alanaazi, K. A. M., Aldhafeeri, H. F. K., Aldhafeeri, S. A. O., & Al Shehri, A. N. H. (2024). Investigating the influence of nurse-patient trust, empathy, and cultural competence on patient satisfaction, treatment compliance, and readmission rates in Hafr Al-Batin hospitals. Journal of International Crisis and Risk Communication Research, 7(11), 861-888.
Al-Worafi, Y. M. (2023). Patient care-related issues in the developing countries: Laboratory tests and their interpretation. In Handbook of Medical and Health Sciences in Developing Countries: Education, Practice, and Research (pp. 1–20). Cham: Springer International Publishing.
Ben-Arye, E., Lopez, G., Rassouli, M., Ortiz, M., Cramer, H., & Samuels, N. (2024). Cross-cultural patient counseling and communication in the integrative medicine setting: Respecting the patient’s health belief model of care. Current Psychiatry Reports, 26(8), 422–434.
Birhanu, Z., Assefa, T., Woldie, M., & Morankar, S. (2010). Determinants of satisfaction with health care provider interactions at health centres in central Ethiopia: a cross sectional study. BMC health services research, 10(1), 78-88.
Bogale, A. L., Kassa, H. B., & Ali, J. H. (2015). Patients’ perception and satisfaction on quality of laboratory malaria diagnostic service in Amhara Regional State, North West Ethiopia. Malaria journal, 14(1), 241.
Boyd, M. D., Lewis, L. M., & Smith, J. A. (2007). Patient understanding of medical procedures and its relationship to satisfaction and perceived quality of care. Patient Education and Counseling, 67(1–2), 150–156.
Cadet, F., & Sainfort, F. (2023). Service quality in health care: Empathy as a double-edged sword in the physician–patient relationship. International Journal of Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Marketing, 17(1), 115–131.
Campos, C. F. C., Olivo, C. R., de Arruda Martins, M., & Tempski, P. Z. (2024). Physicians’ attention to patients’ communication cues can improve patient satisfaction with care and perception of physicians’ empathy. Clinics, 79(3), 10037-10047.
Chen, X., Liu, C., Yan, P., Wang, H., Xu, J., & Yao, K. (2025). The impact of doctor-patient communication on patient satisfaction in outpatient settings: Implications for medical training and practice. BMC Medical Education, 25(1), 830–845.
Cho, H., Jeong, H., Yu, J., Lee, J., & Jung, H. J. (2024). Becoming a doctor: using social constructivism and situated learning to understand the clinical clerkship experiences of undergraduate medical students. BMC Medical Education, 24(1), 236-255.
Dahm, M. R., Cattanach, W., Williams, M., Basseal, J. M., Gleason, K., & Crock, C. (2023). Communication of diagnostic uncertainty in primary care and its impact on patient experience: An integrative systematic review. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 38(3), 738–754.
Dietl, J. E., Derksen, C., Keller, F. M., & Lippke, S. (2023). Interdisciplinary and interprofessional communication intervention: how psychological safety fosters communication and increases patient safety. Frontiers in psychology, 14(1), 1164-1188.
Dwijayanti, K. A., Wirajaya, I. W. A., Sukadana, K., & Kusuma, N. Y. (2024). Service quality factors that influence patient satisfaction at Buleleng Regional Hospital. Jurnal Ilmiah Manajemen Kesatuan, 12(4), 1179-1190.
Ellyamurti, D. O., & Arianto, R. F. (2025). Patient perceptions and trust in artificial intelligence for radiology services: Evidence from Indriati Solo Baru Hospital. Jurnal Ilmiah Manajemen Kesatuan, 13(6), 5447-5560.
Fenn, N., Reyes, C., Mushkat, Z., Vinacco, K., Jackson, H., Al Sanea, A., ... & Dupre, A. M. (2022). Empathy, better patient care, and how interprofessional education can help. Journal of Interprofessional Care, 36(5), 660–669.
Franklin, M., Lewis, S., Willis, K., Bourke-Taylor, H., & Smith, L. (2018). Patients’ and healthcare professionals’ perceptions of self-management support interactions: systematic review and qualitative synthesis. Chronic illness, 14(2), 79-103.
Gale, C., Gilbert, P., Read, N., & Goss, K. (2014). An evaluation of the impact of introducing compassion focused therapy to a standard treatment programme for people with eating disorders. Clinical psychology & psychotherapy, 21(1), 1-12.
Goldstein, E., Chokshi, B., Melendez-Torres, G. J., Rios, A., Jelley, M., & Lewis-O’Connor, A. (2024). Effectiveness of trauma-informed care implementation in health care settings: Systematic review of reviews and realist synthesis. The Permanente Journal, 28(1), 135–145.
Green, L. W., & Kreuter, M. W. (2005). Health program planning: An educational and ecological approach (4th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2017). A primer on partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications.
Hardie, P., O’Donovan, R., Jarvis, S., & Redmond, C. (2022). Key tips to providing a psychologically safe learning environment in the clinical setting. BMC Medical Education, 22(1), 816–822.
Hattangadi, N., Kurdyak, P., Solomon, R., & Soklaridis, S. (2020). Goals of care or goals of life? A qualitative study of clinicians’ and patients’ experiences of hospital discharge using Patient-Oriented Discharge Summaries (PODS). BMC Health Services Research, 20(1), 687-699.
He, Y., Fan, G., Fan, G., & Liu, D. (2025). Exploring nurse and patient perspectives on WeChat-based prenatal education in Chinese public hospitals: a qualitative inquiry. Bmc Nursing, 24(1), 459-466.
Henseler, J., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2015). A new criterion for assessing discriminant validity in variance-based structural equation modeling. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 43(1), 115–135.
Hepburn, M. (2021). Communication clarity and patient understanding in healthcare interactions. Patient Education and Counseling, 104(2), 356–363.
Iloh, G. U. P., Ofoedu, J. N., Njoku, P. U., Odu, F. U., Ifedigbo, C. V., & Iwuamanam, K. D. (2012). Evaluation of patients′ satisfaction with quality of care provided at the National Health Insurance Scheme clinic of a tertiary hospital in South-Eastern Nigeria. Nigerian journal of clinical practice, 15(4), 469-474.
Inaray, A. C. P., Soewignyo, F., Sumanti, E. R., & Mandagi, D. W. (2024). Exploring the nexus between service quality, patient satisfaction, and recommendation intentions in faith-based hospital settings. EKUITAS (Jurnal Ekonomi dan Keuangan), 8(3), 398–417.
Ismail, E. H., & Al-Moghrabi, D. (2023). Interrelationship between dental clinicians and laboratory technicians: A qualitative study. BMC Oral Health, 23(1), 682–692.
Kavas, M. V., Tut, H., Senyurek, G., & Elhan, A. H. (2025). A mixed-method study on physicians’ perceptions of pay for performance: impact on professionalism, morality and work-life balance. BMC Health Services Research, 25(1), 78-88.
Kim, S. S., & Park, B. K. (2008). Patient-perceived communication styles of nurses and patient satisfaction. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 61(5), 534–543.
Linscott, A., & Occhipinti, E. (2024). Effective communication in laboratory management. Clinical Laboratory Management, 2(1), 278–284.
Mandagi, D. W., Rampen, D. C., Soewignyo, T. I., & Walean, R. H. (2024). Empirical nexus of hospital brand gestalt, patient satisfaction and revisit intention. International Journal of Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Marketing, 18(2), 215–236.
Mee, V. D. F. A. M., & Schaper, F. (2024). Enhancing patient understanding of laboratory test results: A systematic review. Patient Education and Counseling, 121(1), 131-141.
Meyer, A. N., Giardina, T. D., Khawaja, L., & Singh, H. (2021). Patient and clinician experiences of uncertainty in the diagnostic process: Current understanding and future directions. Patient Education and Counseling, 104(11), 2606–2615.
Money, A. G., Barnett, J., Kuljis, J., & Duffin, D. (2015). Patient perceptions and expectations of an anticoagulation service: a quantitative comparison study of clinic‐based testers and patient self‐testers. Scandinavian journal of caring sciences, 29(4), 662-678.
Moudatsou, M., Stavropoulou, A., Philalithis, A., & Koukouli, S. (2020). The role of empathy in health and social care professionals. Healthcare, 8(1), 26-35.
Nembhard, I. M., Edmondson, A. C., & Tucker, A. L. (2022). A systematic review of research on empathy in healthcare. BMC Health Services Research, 22(1), 104-115.
Neumann, M., Bensing, J., Mercer, S., Ernstmann, N., Ommen, O., & Pfaff, H. (2009). Analyzing the “nature” and “specific effectiveness” of clinical empathy: a theoretical overview and contribution towards a theory-based research agenda. Patient education and counseling, 74(3), 339-346.
Nimmon, L., & Regehr, G. (2018). The complexity of patients' health communication social networks: a broadening of physician communication. Teaching and Learning in Medicine, 30(4), 352-366.
Nurhidayah, L., Sari, D. P., & Hidayat, R. (2020). Pengaruh komunikasi petugas kesehatan terhadap persepsi mutu pelayanan pasien. Jurnal Administrasi Kesehatan Indonesia, 8(1), 45–54.
O'Toole, G. (2024). Communication-E-Book: Core Interpersonal Skills for Healthcare Professionals. Amsterdam: Elsevier Health Sciences.
Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V. A., & Berry, L. L. (1988). SERVQUAL: A multiple-item scale for measuring consumer perceptions of service quality. Journal of Retailing, 64(1), 12–40.
Patel, B., Gheihman, G., Katz, J. T., Begin, A. S., & Solomon, S. R. (2024). Navigating uncertainty in clinical practice: A structured approach. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 39(5), 829–836.
Paulus, P. (2023). The role of psychological safety in team communication: Implications for human resource practices. Golden Ratio of Mapping Idea and Literature Format, 3(2), 156–166.
Pokharel, S., Shrestha, A., & Kafle, R. (2024). Patient perceptions of in-hospital laboratory blood testing and communication quality. BMC Health Services Research, 24(1), 87-98.
Rahmawati, S., & Prasetyo, A. (2021). Hubungan komunikasi efektif petugas kesehatan dengan kepuasan pasien rawat jalan. Jurnal Manajemen Pelayanan Kesehatan, 24(2), 85–94.
Riaz, M., Yousaf, I., & Yousaf, S. (2025). An analysis of healthcare leaders’ experience as they endeavor to nurture a climate of psychological safety. The Critical Review of Social Sciences Studies, 3(3), 720–731.
Schiavo, R. (2014). Health communication: From theory to practice (2nd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Shan, L., Li, Y., Ding, D., Wu, Q., Liu, C., Jiao, M., ... & Ren, J. (2016). Patient satisfaction with hospital inpatient care: effects of trust, medical insurance and perceived quality of care. PloS one, 11(10), 16436-16446.
Street Jr, R. L., Makoul, G., Arora, N. K., & Epstein, R. M. (2009). How does communication heal? Pathways linking clinician–patient communication to health outcomes. Patient education and counseling, 74(3), 295-301.
Sun, Y., Zhang, Y., Gwizdka, J., & Trace, C. B. (2019). Consumer evaluation of the quality of online health information: systematic literature review of relevant criteria and indicators. Journal of medical Internet research, 21(5), 12522-12533.
Wanzer, M. B., Booth-Butterfield, M., & Gruber, K. (2004). Perceptions of health care providers' communication: relationships between patient-centered communication and satisfaction. Health communication, 16(3), 363-384.
Weilenmann, S., Schnyder, U., Parkinson, B., Corda, C., Von Kaenel, R., & Pfaltz, M. C. (2018). Emotion transfer, emotion regulation, and empathy-related processes in physician-patient interactions and their association with physician well-being: a theoretical model. Frontiers in psychiatry, 9(1), 389-402.
WHO. (2017). Communication during patient hand-overs. Retrieved on November 29, 2025, from https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/patient-safety/patient-safety-solutions/ps-solution3-communication-during-patient-handovers.pdf.
Wilson, A., Childs, S., & Gonçalves-Bradley, D. C. (2018). Empathy and patient satisfaction in healthcare interactions: A systematic review. Patient Education and Counseling, 101(3), 354–364.
Winter, R., Leanage, N., Roberts, N., Norman, R. I., & Howick, J. (2022). Experiences of empathy training in healthcare: A systematic review of qualitative studies. Patient Education and Counseling, 105(10), 3017–3037.
Yaseen, A. A. M., Alzahrani, Y. S. J., Althuwaini, A. F. A., Asiri, A. M. A., Alshehri, I. A. A., Alotape, T. M. S., ... & Alotaibi, S. S. H. (2025). Enhancing patient safety through effective communication between nurses and laboratory technicians. Gland Surgery, 10(1), 136–148.
Yoo, C. W., Lee, J., Yoo, C., & Xiao, N. (2021). Coping behaviors in short message service (SMS)-based disaster alert systems: From the lens of protection motivation theory as elaboration likelihood. Information & Management, 58(4), 103454.
Zhang, Z., Huang, Y., & Coiera, E. (2020). Patient challenges and needs in comprehending laboratory test results. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 22(8), 17197-17208.
