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Background: Strengthening the communication and professional relationships between
clinicians and laboratory workers is essential in order to positively change clinicians’ attitudes
about the reliability of diagnostic tests, enhancing the use of laboratory diagnostics and,
ultimately, improving patient care. We developed an analytical framework to gain insight
into the factors that influence communication amongst health professionals.
Objective: To explore whether the interaction between clinicians and laboratory workers
influences the use of laboratory test results in clinical decision making.
Methods: Four health facilities in northern Tanzania were selected using convenience sampling,
whereas study participants were selected using purposive sampling. The quantitative
and qualitative data collection methods included self-administered questionnaires; semistructured,
individual interviews; in-depth, individual interviews; and/or focus group
discussions with clinicians and laboratory workers. Thematic content analyses were performed
on qualitative data based on the framework. Descriptive statistical analyses of quantitative
data were conducted using Microsoft Excel.
Results: Contact between clinicians and laboratory professionals is seldom institutionalised
and collaboration is rare. The clinicians believe collaboration with laboratory staff is a
challenge because of the gap in education levels. Laboratory workers’ education levels are
often lower than their positions require, leading to clinicians’ lack of respect for and confidence
in laboratory professionals, which compromises the laboratory staff’s motivation.
Conclusions: Hospital managers, clinicians and laboratory workers need to recognise the
critical and complementary roles each professional plays and the importance of addressing
the gap between them. Field application of the framework proved successful, justifying
the expansion of this study to a larger geographical area to include additional healthcare
institutions. |
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