title: Empowering older patients to communicate more effectively in the medical encounter.
abstract: Active involvement of patients in medical encounters has been associated with several desirable outcomes, including greater satisfaction, increased adherence to treatment, and positive treatment outcomes. Older patients, particularly the very old and less well educated, are more likely to place physicians in a dominant role and themselves in a submissive role. Intervention trials to increase patient involvement have shown positive results. Activation interventions with older patients to increase a sense of control and self-efficacy are promising. Most of the attention to improving doctor-patient interaction has been directed toward physicians. The results of these few intervention trials support increased attention to patient behaviors.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Studies on Aging, New England Research Institutes, Watertown, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Tennstedt
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003142:Communication; D005260:Female; D006299:Health Services for the Aged / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010358:Patient Participation; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011786:Quality Control; D014342:Truth Disclosure; D014481:United States