Healthcare Provider Communication

Objective: The study intended to use narrative medicine study for interdisciplinary collaboration to let medical and healthcare students have a chance to interact with one another and listen to patients’ stories to enhance students’ reflective thinking, communication, empathy, and narrative medicine writing skills. Methods: A fifteen-week quasi-experimental design was used to examine the learning outcomes of the intervention. Two groups of students were randomly assigned as the experimental group (33 students) and the control group (32 students). Before and after the intervention, both groups had to fill in a Reflective Thinking Scale for Healthcare Students and Providers (RTS-HSP), Patient–Healthcare Provider Communication Scale (P-HCS), Empathy Scale in Patient Care (ES-PC), and Analytic Narrative Medicine Writing Scoring Rubric (ANMWSR). Results: The findings showed that on the reflective thinking scale, experimental group students had significantly higher reflective thinking posttest scores in “reflective skepticism,” “empathetic reflection,” and “critical open-mindedness,” but not in “self-examination.” As for patient–healthcare provider communication, they had significantly higher posttest scores in all “perception of trust and receptivity,” “patient-centered information giving,” “rapport building,” and “facilitation of patient involvement” factors. As for empathy, they had significant higher posttest scores in “behavioral empathy” and “affective empathy,” but not in “intelligent empathy.” In narrative medical writing skills, they had significant higher posttest scores in the “attention → representation → affiliation,” “depth of reflection,” “focus and context structure,” and “ideas and elaboration” sections, but not in the “language and conventions” section. Conclusion: The findings suggest that narrative medicine is worth recommending for interdisciplinary collaboration for healthcare education.

Download Full-text

SELF-REGULATION STRATEGIES IN MANAGING MULTI-MORBIDITIES AMONG COMMUNITY-DWELLING PEOPLE AGING WITH ARTHRITIS

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igz038.1162 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S318-S318

Author(s):

Wenhui Zhang ◽

Kavita Radhakrishnan ◽

Heather Becker ◽

Gayle Acton ◽

Carole K Holahan

Keyword(s):

African American ◽

Healthcare Provider ◽

Self Efficacy ◽

Self Regulation ◽

Physical Symptom ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

The Self ◽

Provider Communication ◽

Income Adequacy ◽

Regulation Strategies

Abstract Quantitative and qualitative evidence supported the self-regulation strategies of Selection, Optimization and Compensation (SR-SOC), used by people aging with single and multiple chronic conditions (MCCs) to adapt to chronic disabling symptoms and live well. This study investigated the SR-SOC Strategies in the self-management of community-dwelling people aging with arthritis and MCCs. 140 individuals aged > 50 completed the demographic questionnaire, Functional Comorbidity Index (FCI), Brief Health Literacy Screening, Lubben Social Network Scale, Patient-Healthcare Provider Communication Scale, Health Insurance Check-list, PROMIS Adult Self-Reported Health Measures, SOC Questionnaire, Arthritis Self-Efficacy Scale, Healthcare Service Utilization Questionnaire, and a visual analogue QOL scale. With the theoretical framework, multivariate hierarchical stepwise regression was used to predict SR-SOC Strategies, arthritis self-efficacy, healthcare utilizations and QOL. Majority of the sample were female (70%), with < Bachelor’s degree (56%), White (34%) or African American (33%), with personal annual income < $25,000 (52%). Thirty-seven percent reported fairly and 26% poorly adequate income. Number of FCI count ranged from 2 to 14 (Mean =3.8). The top four comorbidities were obesity, diabetes, visual impairment and degenerative disc disease. QOL ranged from 0.5 to 10.0 (Mean=7.2, SD=2.2). Age, physical symptom cluster (pain, fatigue and cognitive abilities) and healthcare provider communication quality significantly predicted SR-SOC strategies. Income adequacy, physical symptom cluster and SR-SOC strategies significantly predicted arthritis self-efficacy. FCI significantly predicted healthcare utilization total, inpatient healthcare utilization, clinician visit and hospitalization. With income adequacy, FCI significantly predicted home health visit and emergency room visit. Being African American and FCI significantly predicted prescriptions filled.

Download Full-text