OBJECTIVE To examine whether an educational intervention that focused on physician communication training influenced physician empathic expression during patient interactions. METHODS This study used a quantitative research method to investigate the influence of communication training on physician-expressed empathy using two measures (global and hierarchical) of physician empathic behavior. ...

There is a growing emphasis in the literature on how interpersonal processes of care such as quality physician-patient communication can impact measurable health outcomes and patient satisfaction. Poor communication between the patient and physician has been significantly associated with rates of hospital admission, unintentional non-adherence to treatment, and incomplete understanding of self-...

The past decade has broadened definitions of quality in medical care from adherence to narrow technical standards to include providers’ interpersonal skills in all aspects of the medical interview (Lipkin, Quill, & Napodano, 1984). Attracting the most speculation as a likely source of gender differences in the quality of care is the nature of doctor-patient communication. There has been long-st...

BACKGROUND Communication about taking a new medication is critical to proper use of drug therapy and to patient adherence. Despite ample evidence that medications are not taken as prescribed, few investigations have detailed the elements of communication about new medication therapy. This article describes and assesses the quality of physician communication with patients about newly prescribed ...

INTRODUCTION Smokers are likely asking their physicians about the safety of e-cigarettes and their potential role as a cessation tool; however, the research literature on this communication is scant. A pilot study of physicians in the United States was conducted to investigate physician-patient communication regarding e-cigarettes. METHODS A total of 158 physicians were recruited from a direc...

OBJECTIVE Describe the content and frequency of provider-patient dietary supplement discussions during primary care office visits. METHODS Inductive content analysis of 1477 transcribed audio-recorded office visits to 102 primary care providers was combined with patient and provider surveys. Encounters were collected in Los Angeles, CA (2009-2010), geographically diverse practice settings acr...