[Communication and information in the Danish health services. Laws, regulations and rules for patients and personnel in the Danish health services]. / Kommunikation og informationspligt i det danske sundhedsvaesen. Love, vedtaegter, rettigheder og regler for patienter og personale i det danske sundhedsvaesen.

This article describes communication and information between patients and health staff in the Danish Health Service. A number of laws, regulations, rights, and rules have been passed, and in 1998 a new law came into effect concerning patients' rights in the health service. This law protects the rights of patients and provides the health staff with guidelines on communication and information to patients. An analysis of the law is given here. Each profession in the health service has its own regulations and ethic rules. These regulations and rules are reviewed with respect to communication and information in the Danish Health Service.

[Communication with cancer patients in an orthopedic department]. / Kommunikation med kraeftpatienter i en ortopaedkirurgisk afdeling.

The aim of the study was to examine and to compare the level of information and satisfaction among cancer and shoulder-elbow patients in an orthopaedic ward and the development over time. Thirty-eight consecutive patients under suspicion for cancer and 38 consecutive patients with a benign shoulder-elbow disease were included and matched according to age and gender. Three questionnaires were constructed using closed and open-ended questions about level of information and satisfaction in patients' episodes af care. At admission to the ward the patients had a low level of information and satisfaction. After receiving information on the ward, the patients' level of information and satisfaction in both groups improved and were similarly high. Nevertheless, patients in both groups had a desire to receive more information one month after discharge.