The impact of patient participation on physicians' information provision during a primary care medical interview.
This study investigated the impact of patients' participation on physicians' information provision during a primary care medical interview. When communicating with high-participation patients, physicians provided significantly more information overall, more information in response to patients' questions, and volunteered more information than when interacting with low-participation patients. The most significant differences with respect to volunteered information involved communication about treatment and tests or procedures. These results were interpreted to suggest that high-participation patients' communication style promotes better alignment of patients' and physicians' goals and agendas. Overall, the results suggest that patients' style of participation during a medical interview significantly influenced the extent and type of information physicians provided. Given that patients' biggest complaint about physicians often is a lack of desired information, this study has important implications for physician-patient communication.
Cegala
Donald J
DJ
School of Communication & Department of Family Medicine, The Ohio State University, OH 43210, USA. cegala.1@osu.edu
Street
Richard L
RL
Clinch
C Randall
CR
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008487:Medical History Taking; D008875:Middle Aged; D015146:Midwestern United States; D010358:Patient Participation; D011320:Primary Health Care; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires