https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/106421 Mon, 27 Apr 2026 23:10:29 GMT 2026-04-27T23:10:29Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/106683 Title: Communication between Primary Health Care and the Emergency Department during transfer of care of patients in Malta Abstract: The main aims of this research are: To understand what doctors working in Primary Health Care and the Emergency Department feel about the current communication system and see what their ideas on improvement are. The main objectives are: To carry out interviews elements of which are based on previous published research on informational needs from both the hospital and community; compare the results obtained from General Practice Physicians and Emergency Physicians; investigate whether there was an agreement in the requirements between the departments regarding improved communication systems and patient care, and finally, to determine which is the preferred system by physicians from working in General Practice and the Emergency Department. The data for this study was collected via semi-structured interviews carried online for convenience and COVID-19 safety measures. The target populations were doctors working in the Emergency Department, Private General Practice and Public General Practice. The data collected was of a qualitative nature. Twelve participants were involved in the study: four from the Emergency Department, four from Private General Practice and four from Public General Practice. The data collected was transcribed, transcripts were then confirmed with the participants, and analysed using the Thematic Analysis method to elicit common themes. These were: Introduction to Roles and Similarities between them; Frequency of Communication; Reasons for Communication; The Current Methods of Communication and Opinions; Recommendations; Nurturing Relationships and Respect; The Physician’s Perception of the Patient’s Experience. The general consensus between the participants was that there was a marked improvement in communication; however, there was still more work to be done. Several participants were in favour of bettering direct contact such as calling. Interpersonal relationships were deemed as an important factor to ameliorate communication. In this regard, most participants agreed that increasing networking events to help get to know each other better would greatly improve this. It was acknowledged that the majority of the data collected and analysed was in agreement with the current literature. Further research should be done regarding this particular subject, to better understand the current local condition of communication and transfer of care between the Emergency Department and General Practice. Description: M.Sc. Fam. Med.(Melit.) Sat, 01 Jan 2022 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/106683 2022-01-01T00:00:00Z