EVALUATION OF EFFECTIVENESS OF INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION OF HEALTH EDUCATION PROVIDERS WORKING AT PRIMARY HEALTH CARE CENTERS

Introduction: Communication skills play a paramount role in clinical practice. In every clinical setting health provider need to interview their patient efficiently. The inter personal communication skill is one of the most complex one because it involves interaction between individual in non-equal position, is often non-voluntary concern issue of vital importance, is therefore emotionally laden and requires close cooperation. Methodology: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in eighteen primary health care centers in Baghdad, in period from the 2nd of January to the 1st of July 2014.All health providers involved in health education within health promotion unit of the selected PHC centers were eligible to be enrolled in this study. Results: There was a positive linearcorrelationbetween communication skills of health provider and their competency (r=0.72,P=0.01), but weak correlation with their information(r=0.43, P=0.01).The scores of both of them reflect neutral communication skills and competency while the information was good, although themeanscores of the female 17.6, 5.4 which is higher thanthat of the male 6.7,5 in communication skill and competency respectively, while themeanscores of information in male 7 was higher than that of the female (6.8). Although the mean score of doctors regarding communication skill, competency, and information were 18.4, 5.6 and 7were higher than that of paramedical mean score 16,4.7 and 6.7 respectively, yet the differences were not significant.The mean scores of both of them were within the scale of neutral for communication skills and competency while it was good for information.showed that health provider aged ≥ 45 had higher mean scores than younger age groups in communication skills 19.7 (p= 0.01)and the score of information 7.1 (p=0.2). Conclusion: Most of health providersgained neutral scores in communication skills, information and competency in conducting health promotion sessions at PHC center. The impact of training courses on the communication skills, competency and information of health education providers was evident.