Improving patient-centered communication: Results of a randomized controlled trial.
OBJECTIVE
Patient-centered communication is a key element for improving the quality of care in terms of therapeutic relationship, patient participation, and treatment process. Postgraduate trainings provide an essential way of promoting patient centeredness on the job where learning opportunities are often limited by time, patient volume, and economic pressure. In the present study, changes in patient centeredness during clinical routines of postgraduate physicians (internal medicine) after a three-day communication training were assessed.


METHODS
A randomized controlled trial was conducted in a primary care clinic. The intervention consisted of a communication training that aimed to enhance patient centeredness in postgraduate physicians. The training was based on a need assessment and the principles of deliberate practice. Workplace-based assessment of physicians' communication behavior was obtained using the Roter Interaction Analysis System.


RESULTS
Three months after the intervention, trained physicians showed significantly increased patient centeredness (F=5.36, p=.04; d=0.42).


CONCLUSIONS
The communication training significantly improved patient centeredness during routine clinical practice. Thus, this training provides a structured and theory-based concept to foster patient centeredness.


CONCLUSIONS
The results support the implementation of communication trainings as a part of faculty development and medical specialization training.
Department of General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatic, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany. Electronic address: barbaramaatouk@gmx.de.
Barbara
B
Maatouk-Bürmann
Department of General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatic, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.
Nadja
N
Ringel
Department of General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatic, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.
Jochen
J
Spang
Department of General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatic, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.
Carmen
C
Weiss
Department of General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatic, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.
Andreas
A
Möltner
Department of Internal Medicine I, SLK Clinic Heilbronn, Germany.
Urs
U
Riemann
Division of Psychosomatic Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
Wolf
W
Langewitz
Department of General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatic, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.
Jobst-Hendrik
JH
Schultz
Department of General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatic, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.
Jana
J
Jünger
D003142:Communication; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing / Q000379:methods; D004503:Education, Medical, Graduate; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; D010358:Patient Participation; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D016544:Patient Simulation; D018802:Patient-Centered Care / Q000379:methods*; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D010820:Physicians / Q000523:psychology*; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011787:Quality of Health Care
Communication training; Doctor–patient relationship; Patient centeredness; Patient-centered communication; RCT; RIAS