Enhancing parent-provider communication in ambulatory pediatric practice.
OBJECTIVE
To address the need for interventions to enhance parent-provider communication, the present study evaluated the effectiveness of a brief intervention to enhance interpersonal communication skills by pediatric and internal medicine/pediatric residents with parents of children seen in ambulatory practice.


METHODS
In a within-subjects, repeated measures research design, residents (N=28) participated in a 1-112h intervention designed to increase the use of effective communication skills with their patients' families (N=92). Three pediatric visits (one prior to and two following the intervention) were audio-taped and coded using Roter's Interaction Analysis System. Parents' perceptions of residents' communication skills and satisfaction with care were gathered.


RESULTS
Residents used more effective interpersonal communication skills following the intervention (p<.05). Parent satisfaction with care also increased (p<.01) with parents reporting greater satisfaction with distress relief (p=.01) and communication following the intervention (p=.05). However, parents' perceptions of resident communication did not change over time.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that a relatively brief intervention shows promise in improving the quality of care provided within a pediatric ambulatory care setting.


CONCLUSIONS
Training residents to increase their use of praise, empathy, and collaboration with families can be done within a brief intervention and may be associated with increased parental satisfaction with care.
Hart
Chantelle Nobile
CN
Department of Psychology, Case University Medical School & Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital, USA. Chantelle_Hart@brown.edu
Drotar
Dennis
D
Gori
Abdulla
A
Lewin
Linda
L
D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000523:psychology / Q000592:standards; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000592:standards; D003142:Communication; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing / Q000458:organization & administration*; D004645:Empathy; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006801:Humans; D007388:Internal Medicine / Q000193:education / Q000592:standards; D008297:Male; D008505:Medical Staff, Hospital / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology; D015146:Midwestern United States; D010290:Parents / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology*; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000193:education / Q000592:standards; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017749:Total Quality Management / Q000458:organization & administration