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What do people appreciate in physicians’ communication?: an international study with focus groups using videotaped medical consultations

Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review

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What do people appreciate in physicians’ communication? an international study with focus groups using videotaped medical consultations. / Mazzi, Maria A.; Rimondini, Michela; Deveugele, Myriam et al.
In: Health Expectations, Vol. 18, No. 5, 10.2015, p. 1215-1226.

Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review

Harvard

Mazzi, MA, Rimondini, M, Deveugele, M, Zimmermann, C, Moretti, F, van Vliet, L, Deledda, G, Fletcher, I & Bensing, J 2015, 'What do people appreciate in physicians’ communication? an international study with focus groups using videotaped medical consultations', Health Expectations, vol. 18, no. 5, pp. 1215-1226. https://doi.org/10.1111/hex.12097

APA

Mazzi, M. A., Rimondini, M., Deveugele, M., Zimmermann, C., Moretti, F., van Vliet, L., Deledda, G., Fletcher, I., & Bensing, J. (2015). What do people appreciate in physicians’ communication? an international study with focus groups using videotaped medical consultations. Health Expectations, 18(5), 1215-1226. https://doi.org/10.1111/hex.12097

Vancouver

Mazzi MA, Rimondini M, Deveugele M, Zimmermann C, Moretti F, van Vliet L et al. What do people appreciate in physicians’ communication? an international study with focus groups using videotaped medical consultations. Health Expectations. 2015 Oct;18(5):1215-1226. Epub 2013 Jun 25. doi: 10.1111/hex.12097

Author

Mazzi, Maria A. ; Rimondini, Michela ; Deveugele, Myriam et al. / What do people appreciate in physicians’ communication? an international study with focus groups using videotaped medical consultations. In: Health Expectations. 2015 ; Vol. 18, No. 5. pp. 1215-1226.

Bibtex

@article{b2ff92547215423191a3aa65c6c6d0a1,
title = "What do people appreciate in physicians{\textquoteright} communication?: an international study with focus groups using videotaped medical consultations",
abstract = "Background The literature shows that the quality of communication is usually determined from a professional perspective. Patients or lay people are seldom involved in the development of quality indicators or communication.Objective To give voice to the lay people perspective on what constitutes{\textquoteleft}good communication{\textquoteright} by evoking their reactions to variations in physician communication.Design Lay people from four different countries watched the same videotaped standardized medical encounters and discussed their preferences in gender-specific focus groups who were balanced in age groups.Setting and participants Two hundred and fifty-nine lay people (64 NL, 72 IT, 75 UK and 48 BE) distributed over 35 focus groups of 6–8 persons each.Main variables studied Comments on doctors{\textquoteright} behaviours were classified by the GULiVer framework in terms of contents and preferences.Results Participants prevalently discussed {\textquoteleft}task-oriented expressions{\textquoteright}(39%: competency, self-confident, providing solutions), {\textquoteleft}affective oriented/emotional expressions{\textquoteright} (25%: empathy, listening, reassuring) and {\textquoteleft}process-oriented expressions{\textquoteright} (23%: flexibility, summarizing, verifying). {\textquoteleft}Showing an affective attitude{\textquoteright} was most appreciated (positive percentage within category: 93%, particularly facilitations and inviting attitude), followed by {\textquoteleft}providing solution{\textquoteright} (85%). Among disfavoured behaviour, repetitions (88%), {\textquoteleft}writing and reading{\textquoteright} (54%) and asking permission (42%) were found.Conclusions Although an affective attitude is appreciated by nearly everybody, people may vary widely in their communication needs and preferences: what is {\textquoteleft}good communication{\textquoteright} for one person may be disliked or even a source of irritation for another. A physician should be flexible and capable of adapting the consultation to the different needs of different patients. This challenges theidea of general communication guidelines.",
keywords = "physician communication, patient perspective, focus groups, qualitative and quantitative analyses, videotaped consultations",
author = "Mazzi, {Maria A.} and Michela Rimondini and Myriam Deveugele and Christa Zimmermann and Francesca Moretti and {van Vliet}, Liesbeth and Giuseppe Deledda and Ian Fletcher and Jozien Bensing",
year = "2015",
month = oct,
doi = "10.1111/hex.12097",
language = "English",
volume = "18",
pages = "1215--1226",
journal = "Health Expectations",
issn = "1369-6513",
publisher = "Wiley",
number = "5",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - What do people appreciate in physicians’ communication?

T2 - an international study with focus groups using videotaped medical consultations

AU - Mazzi, Maria A.

AU - Rimondini, Michela

AU - Deveugele, Myriam

AU - Zimmermann, Christa

AU - Moretti, Francesca

AU - van Vliet, Liesbeth

AU - Deledda, Giuseppe

AU - Fletcher, Ian

AU - Bensing, Jozien

PY - 2015/10

Y1 - 2015/10

N2 - Background The literature shows that the quality of communication is usually determined from a professional perspective. Patients or lay people are seldom involved in the development of quality indicators or communication.Objective To give voice to the lay people perspective on what constitutes‘good communication’ by evoking their reactions to variations in physician communication.Design Lay people from four different countries watched the same videotaped standardized medical encounters and discussed their preferences in gender-specific focus groups who were balanced in age groups.Setting and participants Two hundred and fifty-nine lay people (64 NL, 72 IT, 75 UK and 48 BE) distributed over 35 focus groups of 6–8 persons each.Main variables studied Comments on doctors’ behaviours were classified by the GULiVer framework in terms of contents and preferences.Results Participants prevalently discussed ‘task-oriented expressions’(39%: competency, self-confident, providing solutions), ‘affective oriented/emotional expressions’ (25%: empathy, listening, reassuring) and ‘process-oriented expressions’ (23%: flexibility, summarizing, verifying). ‘Showing an affective attitude’ was most appreciated (positive percentage within category: 93%, particularly facilitations and inviting attitude), followed by ‘providing solution’ (85%). Among disfavoured behaviour, repetitions (88%), ‘writing and reading’ (54%) and asking permission (42%) were found.Conclusions Although an affective attitude is appreciated by nearly everybody, people may vary widely in their communication needs and preferences: what is ‘good communication’ for one person may be disliked or even a source of irritation for another. A physician should be flexible and capable of adapting the consultation to the different needs of different patients. This challenges theidea of general communication guidelines.

AB - Background The literature shows that the quality of communication is usually determined from a professional perspective. Patients or lay people are seldom involved in the development of quality indicators or communication.Objective To give voice to the lay people perspective on what constitutes‘good communication’ by evoking their reactions to variations in physician communication.Design Lay people from four different countries watched the same videotaped standardized medical encounters and discussed their preferences in gender-specific focus groups who were balanced in age groups.Setting and participants Two hundred and fifty-nine lay people (64 NL, 72 IT, 75 UK and 48 BE) distributed over 35 focus groups of 6–8 persons each.Main variables studied Comments on doctors’ behaviours were classified by the GULiVer framework in terms of contents and preferences.Results Participants prevalently discussed ‘task-oriented expressions’(39%: competency, self-confident, providing solutions), ‘affective oriented/emotional expressions’ (25%: empathy, listening, reassuring) and ‘process-oriented expressions’ (23%: flexibility, summarizing, verifying). ‘Showing an affective attitude’ was most appreciated (positive percentage within category: 93%, particularly facilitations and inviting attitude), followed by ‘providing solution’ (85%). Among disfavoured behaviour, repetitions (88%), ‘writing and reading’ (54%) and asking permission (42%) were found.Conclusions Although an affective attitude is appreciated by nearly everybody, people may vary widely in their communication needs and preferences: what is ‘good communication’ for one person may be disliked or even a source of irritation for another. A physician should be flexible and capable of adapting the consultation to the different needs of different patients. This challenges theidea of general communication guidelines.

KW - physician communication

KW - patient perspective

KW - focus groups

KW - qualitative and quantitative analyses

KW - videotaped consultations

U2 - 10.1111/hex.12097

DO - 10.1111/hex.12097

M3 - Journal article

VL - 18

SP - 1215

EP - 1226

JO - Health Expectations

JF - Health Expectations

SN - 1369-6513

IS - 5

ER -