The role of physician-patient communication in promoting patient-participatory decision making.
BACKGROUND
Involving patients in decision making (DM) is being advocated in clinical practice. For it to be operational, some behavioural models have been put forward. Yet, their suitability and implementation in primary care are controversial.


OBJECTIVE
To illustrate: (i) some of the strategies general practitioners use to involve patients in DM and (ii) a type of patient involvement in the context of primary care based on the appropriate use of general communication skills along the physician-patient interaction to promote participation without an extensive exhibition of options.


METHODS
Analysis of two real situations of family medicine practice.


CONCLUSIONS
The quality of the process of involving patients in DM depends mainly on the professional's communicative effort to achieve understanding and rapport rather than on an extensive discussion of possibilities or their prioritization.
Ruiz-Moral
Roger
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Head of the Cordoba Family & Community Medicine Vocational Training, Cordoba School of Medicine, Córdoba, Spain. roger.ruiz.sspa@juntadeandalucia.es
D003142:Communication; D005194:Family Practice; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010358:Patient Participation; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D013030:Spain