Comparison of organizational communication works in public and private sector healthcare institutions

COMPARISON OF ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION WORKS IN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTOR HEALTHCARE INSTITUTIONS ABSTRACT In this study, the hypotheses, models, and approaches developed in the field of organizational and healthcare communication have been examined in detail. For this purpose, the concepts such as organization, organizational hypotheses, communication, communicational hypotheses, organizational communication, organizational communication hypotheses; the basic concepts on healthcare, communication in healthcare and the hypotheses on communication in healthcare have been included in the study in detail. For the purpose of resolving the healthcare problems that individuals care much about throughout their lives, the issues such as diagnosis and treatment of diseases, organizational communication perception in healthcare employees that are referred to as the target audience in public and private sector healthcare institutions where all healthcare services are provided, the perception of healthcare communication in relatives of patients, who are referred to as the target audience outside the organization, the relations among these perceptions and the demographical data of the employees of the organizations, and the patients and their relatives have been examined with scientific methods and techniques. The research part of the study was conducted in R. T. Ministry of Health-Erzincan University, Mengücek Gazi Education and Research Hospital in the city center of Erzincan, and in Erzincan Private Neon Hospital with 600 participants 300 of whom were included in organizational communication and 300 of whom were in included in healthcare communication. The questionnaire works were completed within 6 months. A pre-test application was performed with 100 hospital employees and 100 relatives of patients in order to conduct the study in a more accurate and productive manner before the actual application was started. A 5-Point Likert Organizational Communication Scale consisting of 29 items were made use of to determine the abovementioned relations; and a 5-Point Likert Healthcare Communication Scale consisting of 21 items were also made use of in the study. The study data, which were obtained in an empirical manner, were analyzed in SPSS 21.00 and LISREL 9. 1 package programs, and the statistical results of the study were obtained. The reliability and validity studies of the data obtained in the study were performed with Explanatory and Confirmatory Factor Analyses. The descriptive and comparative methods were used in the study. The basic and sub-problems of the study were determined with the hypotheses before the study was started, and the hypotheses were tested in order to obtain the relevant results. The following results were obtained about the organizational and healthcare communication. It was determined that the importance of the study topic increased day by day both in national and international scale. It was also determined that the organizational communication and healthcare communication issues, which were needed for satisfaction, functioning, activities and productivity in healthcare institutions, were not known by the employees and relatives of the patients, who are an important audience in public and private healthcare institutions. Organizational communication is perceived merely as the communication happening between the organizations; and the healthcare communication is perceived merely as the communication happening between the doctor and the patient. The issues of organizational and healthcare communication, which were believed to have an increasing importance, were emphasized in numerous Healthcare Reforms released throughout history until our present day to increase the quality of healthcare services and to regulate the communication and functioning in healthcare institutions. However, it was observed that the academic and sectoral studies and activities that were performed both in the public sector and in the private sector were inadequate. When the Public Relations Units in public hospitals are compared with their counterparts in Private Hospitals, the ones in Public Hospitals are observed to be more passive. The patients and their relatives stated verbally that they were satisfied with the public relations services in private hospitals. Private hospitals care for introductory and advertorial activities in order to reach the wider target audience, while public hospitals do not have adequate efforts on this topic. In the research dimension of the study, the data on organizational communication were dealt with under the sub-dimensions of "strategic communication", "general communication" and "social activities intended for communication" according to the types of the hospitals (public-private); and the following results were obtained. It was observed that the social activities sub-dimension results of the organizational communication in the healthcare staff working in R. T. Ministry of Health-Erzincan University, Mengücek Gazi Education and Research Hospital and Erzincan Private Neon Hospital differed at a significant level (t298= 2,37, p<.01) according to the types of the hospitals. In order to determine the source of the differences, the average values were examined and it was determined that the average point of the healthcare staff in Private Neon Hospital was X= 8,36; and the average point of the healthcare staff working at Mengücek Gazi Hospital was X=7,50. These findings may be evaluated as the average points of the healthcare employees working at private hospitals are higher than those working at public hospitals at a significant level. On the other hand, it was determined that there was no significant differences in the strategic communication sub-dimension (t298= 1,43, p>.01), and in general communication sub-dimension (t298= 1,50, p>.01) according to hospital types. On the research dimension of the study, the data on healthcare communication were examined under the titles like "doctor-patient communication", "the effect of intensive work on communication", "ethical elements in communication" and "being open to communication" according to hospital types (public-private), and the following results were obtained. The healthcare communication average points of the patients who received healthcare services from R. T. Ministry of Health-Erzincan University, Mengücek Gazi Education and Research Hospital and Erzincan Private Neon Hospital did not differ significantly in the "doctor-patient communication" sub-dimension (t298= 8,56, p<.01), in the "effect of intensive work on communication" sub-dimension (t298= 3,78, p<.01), in the "ethical elements in communication sub-dimension" (t298= 4,31, p<.01) and in the "being open to communication" sub-dimensions (t298= 6,63, p<.01) according to hospital types. When the differences between the average points were examined, it was observed that the average points of the patients and their relatives in Neon Hospital in "doctor-patient" sub-dimension was X= 17,33; and the average point of those in Mengücek Gazi Hospital was X=14,16. These findings may be evaluated as the doctor-patient communication in Neon Hospital is stronger at a significant level. In the sub-dimension of "the effect of intensive work on communication sub-dimension", it was observed that the average point of the patients and their relatives in Neon Hospital was X= 20, 47; and that of the Mengücek Gazi Hospital was X=23,57. These findings may be evaluated as the average point of the patients and their relatives in Mengücek Gazi Hospital is higher at a significant level, and that the intensive work in a public hospital has a negative impact on the communication. In the "ethical elements in communication sub-dimension", it was observed that the average point of the patients and their relatives in Neon Hospital is X= 14,36; and that of the Mengücek Gazi Hospital was X=16,21.These findings may be evaluated as the average point of the patients and their relatives in Mengücek Gazi Hospital is higher at a significant level, and that the ethical elements about the communication with the patients and their relatives in public hospitals are observed more. In the "being open to communication" sub-dimension, it was observed that the average point of the patients and their relatives in Neon Hospital is X= 14,74; and that of the Mengücek Gazi Hospital is X=10,06. These findings may be evaluated as the average point of the patients and their relatives in Neon Hospital is higher, and that the perception of "being open to communication" is more in private hospitals. Keywords: Public, private sector, organizational communication, healthcare communication, healthcare institution