What Computers Can Teach Us About Doctor-Patient Communication: Leveraging Gender Differences in Cancer Care

Author(s):  
Mohammad Rafayet Ali ◽  
Taylan Sen ◽  
Viet-Duy Nguyen ◽  
M Ehsan Hoque ◽  
Ronald M Epstein ◽  
...  
2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Angela Mazzi ◽  
Michela Rimondini ◽  
Myriam Deveugele ◽  
Christa Zimmermann ◽  
Giuseppe Deledda ◽  
...  

This paper assesses whether gender plays a role when male and female participants discuss the quality of doctor–patient communication in gynaecological consultations. A European multi-centre study was conducted comprising 259 participants in 35 gender- and country-specific focus groups. In all focus groups, a set of four videotaped Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) consultations was used as a prompt for discussion. The doctors’ ability in communication was assessed by participants’ ratings and by a quantified content analysis of their comments, using a mixed-method approach. Gender analysis was performed applying a set of generalized linear regression models. The findings indicated that gender differences were smaller than expected. The individual ratings of the overall quality of communication were similar for male and female participants, and there were hardly any differences in the content of the discussions. The only two exceptions were that female doctors were criticized more than male doctors when they made impersonal comments and that female participants were more outspoken than men, positively and negatively. The prevalence of gender similarities suggests that doctors’ empathy, support, understanding and pleasantness are highly appreciated by both male and female participants and appear to transcend gender differences.


2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e18048-e18048
Author(s):  
Craig Evan Pollack ◽  
Katrina Armstrong ◽  
Nandita Mitra ◽  
Xinwei Chen ◽  
Katelyn R Ward ◽  
...  

e18048 Background: Racial differences in prostate cancer treatment and outcomes are widespread and poorly understood. We sought to determine whether access to care, measured across multiple dimensions, contribute to racial differences in prostate cancer. Methods: The Philadelphia Area Prostate Cancer Access Study (P2 Access) included 2374 men diagnosed with localized prostate cancer from 2012 to 2014. Patient survey data was used to determine experiences of accessing prostate cancer care (response rate 51.1%). An audit survey using simulated patient calls was used to determine appointment availability and wait times at 151 urology practices. Patient and practice addresses were geocoded to construct distance measures. We used multivariable logistic regression models to determine the association between five different domains of access—availability, accessibility, accommodation, affordability, and acceptability—and receipt of definitive treatment with radical prostatectomy or radiation, satisfaction with care, and doctor-patient communication. Results: There were 1907 non-Hispanic white and 394 black men in our cohort, the majority (71%) with stage 1 disease. Overall, 85% of men received definitive treatment with no differences by race. None of the access domains were significantly associated with definitive treatment overall or with radical prostatectomy in adjusted models. Black men were less likely to report good doctor-patient communication (60% vs 71%, p < 0.001) and high satisfaction with their care (69% vs 81%, p < 0.001). Communication ratings remained significantly lower among black men compared to white men in adjusted models (odds ratio = 1.49, 95% Confidence Interval 1.03, 2.16). Each domain of access was significantly associated with lower satisfaction with care and worse communication; however, differences in access did not mediate racial disparities for these measures. Conclusions: This study presents the first comprehensive assessment of access to prostate cancer care, showing that while access was related to overall satisfaction and better doctor-patient communication, it did not appear to explain racial differences in these measures of cancer care.


2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamye M. Hickman ◽  
Kelly E. Caine ◽  
Aideen J. Stronge ◽  
Richard Pak ◽  
Wendy A. Rogers ◽  
...  

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (2-3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marianna Zummo

This paper questions the nature of the communicative event that takes place in online contexts between doctors and web-users, showing computer-mediated linguistic norms and discussing the nature of the participants’ roles. Based on an analysis of 1005 posts occurring between doctors and the users of health service websites, I analyse how doctor–patient communication is affected by the medium and how health professionals overcome issues concerning the virtual medical visit. Results suggest that (a) online medical answers offer a different service from that expected by users, as doctors cannot always fulfill patient requests, and (b) net consultations use aspects of traditional doctor–patient exchange and yet present a language and a style that are affected by the computer-mediated environment. Additionally, it seems that this new form leads to a different model of doctor–patient relationship. The findings are intended to provide new insights into web-based discourse in doctor–patient communication and to demonstrate the emergence of a new style in medical communication.


Author(s):  
Swastika Chandra ◽  
Masoud Mohammadnezhad

From a clinical perspective, effective and efficient communication is part of a strategy to ensure doctors are providing high-quality care to their patients. Despite the positive impact of effective doctor–patient communication on health outcomes, limited information is available on this in Fiji. This study was carried out to determine the current patients’ perception of doctors’ communication behaviour and identify factors affecting the doctor–patient communication in Fiji. This mixed-method study was conducted in the outpatient setting of three randomly selected health centres in the Suva Subdivision, Fiji. For the quantitative phase, systematic random sampling was used to select the 375 participants who completed the structured questionnaire; of those, 20 participants were selected for the qualitative interview. From the patients’ perception, 45.6% of them perceived doctors’ communication behaviour as good, 53.6% as fair, and 0.8% as poor communication behaviour. Qualitative findings highlight factors such as the attitude of the doctors, their approach, their interaction with the patients, and them providing an explanation as important factors during doctor–patient communication. In Fiji, the majority of patients perceived doctors’ communication behaviour as fair to good and the doctors’ skills were important for effective doctor–patient communication. This study highlighted the importance of doctor–patient communication and suggested that doctors might not be practicing patient-centred care and communication; thus, they need to upgrade their patient-centred communication skills.


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