title: Concordance between physician communication style and patient attitudes predicts patient satisfaction.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study tested whether the impact of the physician's communication style on patient satisfaction differs depending on patients' attitudes toward caring and sharing. We predicted that the impact of physician caring on patient satisfaction depends on patient attitudes toward caring, and that the impact of physician sharing on patient satisfaction depends on patient attitudes toward sharing.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants (N=167) were asked to imagine that they were consulting for recurrent headaches. They interacted on a computer with a virtual physician that communicated either in a low or high caring way and either in a low or high sharing way (2 × 2 design). Then, participants answered questions about their attitudes toward caring and sharing and about their satisfaction with the physician.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Hypotheses were confirmed. Furthermore, a high caring physician communication style led to higher satisfaction than a low caring one, regardless of participants' attitudes toward caring, while satisfaction with physicians' level of sharing was dependent on the participants' attitude toward sharing.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Physicians may adopt a high caring style with confidence that all patients will benefit. Adoption of a sharing style should be more carefully adjusted to patient attitudes.
authors: University of Neuchatel, Switzerland. gaetan.cousin@unine.ch
authors: Gaëtan
authors: G
authors: Cousin
authors: Marianne
authors: M
authors: Schmid Mast
authors: Debra L
authors: DL
authors: Roter
authors: Judith A
authors: JA
authors: Hall
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003142:Communication; D004645:Empathy; D005260:Female; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D013334:Students; D013557:Switzerland; D014584:User-Computer Interface; D055815:Young Adult