Abstract

Effective communication is a critical component of healthcare counselling and a key determinant of interpersonal professional relationships within hospital settings. This study examined the effect of communication effectiveness in healthcare counselling on interpersonal professional relationships among healthcare workers in Edo State hospitals, Nigeria. It further assessed how counselling communication influences key dimensions of teamwork, including trust, coordination, information sharing, and conflict reduction, as well as the effect of institutional type on these relationships. A descriptive cross-sectional survey design was adopted, involving 298 healthcare professionals selected through stratified random sampling. Data were collected using the Communication Effectiveness and Professional Relationship Scale (CEPRS) and analysed using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) and Spearman correlation techniques to ensure robust measurement and structural validity. Findings revealed that communication effectiveness significantly predicts interpersonal professional relationships (β = 0.71, p < 0.05), indicating that improved counselling communication enhances trust, teamwork, and collaboration among healthcare workers. Further results showed that communication effectiveness positively influences all dimensions of teamwork, with the strongest effect on team coordination. Additionally, tertiary hospitals demonstrated higher communication effectiveness and stronger professional relationships compared to secondary healthcare facilities, highlighting the influence of institutional capacity on communication outcomes. The study concludes that communication effectiveness in counselling is a major predictor of professional relationship quality in healthcare settings. It recommends structured communication training, improved multidisciplinary collaboration, and institutional reforms to strengthen communication systems and enhance healthcare team performance in Edo State hospitals.