Associations between Procedural Fairness in Physician Communication and Lifestyle Behaviors in Patients with Obesity

ObjectiveTo investigate how patient perception of procedural fairness in primary care physician communication among diverse patients with obesity is associated with the patient’s willingness to follow recommendations, self-efficacy beliefs, and lifestyle behaviors. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional, secondary data analysis of 484 primary care patients (43.6% Black, 40.7% Hispanic/Latino, 56.4% Female, Mage=50 years) with a BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2 enrolled in a weight management study in two New York City healthcare systems. To evaluate direct and indirect associations between PF and outcome variables, we used ordinary least squares path analyses with bootstrapping procedures controlling for age and gender. Results Patients who perceived their primary care physician as fairer reported higher willingness to follow recommendations and higher dietary self-efficacy, which were associated with healthier dietary behaviors (willingness: indirect=.08, SE=.03; 95% CI[.04 to .14]; dietary self-efficacy: indirect=.03, SE=.01; 95% CI[.01 to .05]). Higher perceived PF was also associated with higher exercise self-efficacy, which was associated with increased physical activity (indirect=.03, SE=.01; 95% CI[.01 to .05]).ConclusionPF was associated with lifestyle behaviors via willingness to follow recommendations and self-efficacy beliefs. PF holds promise as a novel communication target to enhance patient-physician communication related to weight management in primary care.

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Is charm a primary care physician communication skill?

Education for Primary Care ◽

10.1080/14739879.2016.1142768 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 27 (2) ◽

pp. 135-137

Author(s):

Richard Albardiaz

Keyword(s):

Primary Care ◽

Primary Care Physician ◽

Communication Skill ◽

Care Physician ◽

Physician Communication

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Patient assessment of primary care physician communication: segmentation approach

International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance ◽

10.1108/ijhcqa-11-2013-0136 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 28 (4) ◽

pp. 332-342 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Elena A. Platonova ◽

Richard M. Shewchuk

Keyword(s):

Primary Care ◽

Primary Care Physician ◽

Latent Class ◽

Professional Competence ◽

Care Physician ◽

Physician Communication ◽

Patient Relationship ◽

Patient Assessment ◽

Content Type ◽

Segmentation Approach

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine how patient assessment of primary care physician (PCP) communication is related to patient satisfaction with the PCP, patient perception of PCP professional competence, patient assessment of the relationship with the doctor and patient demographic characteristics using a segmentation approach. Design/methodology/approach – The authors surveyed 514 adult patients waiting for appointments with their PCPs in two US primary care clinics. A latent class analysis was used to identify mutually exclusive unobserved homogeneous classes of patients. Findings – The authors identified three distinct classes/groups with regard to patient assessment of physician communication and the physician-patient relationship. The largest group (53 percent of the sample) assessed their PCP communication and other doctor-patient relationship aspects as excellent. However, 37 percent provided mostly negative assessments, expressed high general dissatisfaction with the physician and disagreed with the statement that their PCP was well qualified to manage their health problems. These patients were on average more educated and affluent and the group included more males. About 10 percent of patients expressed generally lower satisfaction with the PCP, though their dissatisfaction was not as extreme as in the highly dissatisfied group. Research limitations/implications – Further studies are needed to help physicians develop skills to communicate with different patients. Originality/value – Patient segmentation can be an important tool for healthcare quality improvement particularly for emerging approaches to primary care such as patient-centered care.

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