This lecture presents and analyses the qualitative systematic review by Goulding et al. (Health Expectations, 2025) on older patients' verbal communication with primary care staff.
In short: communication between patients and staff is a crucial part of safe, effective care, and older people face their own barriers to achieving it.
What the review found
- Barriers: they come from patients' perception of their role, the nature of their relationship with staff and the way concerns are raised.
- Facilitators: preparing before the visit and support from family or peers.
- Patients and carers themselves identified communication as the most important topic for their safety, and took part in the study.
Understanding these barriers is the first step in designing interventions that improve communication during visits.