Physician communication and patient adherence to treatment: a meta-analysis.
BACKGROUND
Numerous empirical studies from various populations and settings link patient treatment adherence to physician-patient communication. Meta-analysis allows estimates of the overall effects both in correlational research and in experimental interventions involving the training of physicians' communication skills.


OBJECTIVE
Calculation and analysis of "r effect sizes" and moderators of the relationship between physician's communication and patient adherence, and the effects of communication training on adherence to treatment regimens for varying medical conditions.


METHODS
Thorough search of published literature (1949-August 2008) producing separate effects from 106 correlational studies and 21 experimental interventions. Determination of random effects model statistics and the detailed examination of study variability using moderator analyses.


RESULTS
Physician communication is significantly positively correlated with patient adherence; there is a 19% higher risk of non-adherence among patients whose physician communicates poorly than among patients whose physician communicates well. Training physicians in communication skills results in substantial and significant improvements in patient adherence such that with physician communication training, the odds of patient adherence are 1.62 times higher than when a physician receives no training.


CONCLUSIONS
Communication in medical care is highly correlated with better patient adherence, and training physicians to communicate better enhances their patients' adherence. Findings can contribute to medical education and to interventions to improve adherence, supporting arguments that communication is important and resources devoted to improving it are worth investing in. Communication is thus an important factor over which physicians have some control in helping their patients to adhere.
Zolnierek
Kelly B Haskard
KB
Department of Psychology, Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas 78666, USA. kh36@txstate.edu
Dimatteo
M Robin
MR
D000367:Age Factors; D003142:Communication; D006801:Humans; D008511:Medicine; D010349:Patient Compliance; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D010820:Physicians; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013038:Specialization; D013997:Time Factors