The impact of patient and physician computer mediated communication skill training on reported communication and patient satisfaction.
OBJECTIVE
The objective was to evaluate parallel patient and physician computer-mediated communication skill training on participants' report of skill use and patient satisfaction.


METHODS
Separate patient and clinician web-tools comprised of over 500, 10-s video clips demonstrating patient-centered skills in various ways. Four clinician members of the American Academy of Family Physicians National Research Network participated by enrolling 194 patients into a randomized patient trial and 29 physicians into a non-randomized clinician trial of respective interventions. All participants completed baseline and follow-up self-report measures of visit communication and satisfaction.


RESULTS
Intervention patients reported using more skills than controls in five of six skill areas, including identification of problems/concerns, information exchange, treatment adherence, shared decision-making and interpersonal rapport (all p<.05); post intervention, physicians reported using more skills in the same 5 areas (all p<.01). Intervention group patients reported higher levels of satisfaction than controls in five of six domains (all p<.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Communication skill training delivered in a computer mediated format had a positive and parallel impact on both patient and clinician reported use of patient-centered communication and in patient satisfaction.


CONCLUSIONS
Computer-mediated interventions are cost and time effective thereby increasing patient and clinician willingness to undertake training.
Department of Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA. droter@jhsph.edu
Debra L
DL
Roter
Randy
R
Wexler
Phyllis
P
Naragon
Brian
B
Forrest
Jason
J
Dees
Astrid
A
Almodovar
Julie
J
Wood
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003142:Communication; D003194:Computer-Assisted Instruction / Q000379:methods*; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D018802:Patient-Centered Care; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D015397:Program Evaluation; D057566:Self Report; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult