Improving Physician-Patient Interactions with Agenda-Setting Skills
Author Information
Author(s): Hector P Rodriguez, Michael P Anastario, Richard M Frankel, Esosa G Odigie, William H Rogers, Ted von Glahn, Dana G Safran
Primary Institution: University of Washington
Hypothesis
Can teaching agenda-setting skills to physicians improve clinical interaction quality?
Conclusion
A simple and modest behavioral training for practicing physicians has potential to positively affect physician-patient relationship interaction quality.
Supporting Evidence
- Intervention physicians improved their ability to explain things in a way that was easy to understand.
- There was a marginally significant improvement in overall quality of physician-patient interactions.
- Patients' experiences with organizational access and care coordination did not differ by experimental group.
Takeaway
Teaching doctors how to better understand and prioritize what patients want to talk about can make visits better for everyone.
Methodology
The study involved a controlled intervention with 10 physicians receiving training and 11 matched control physicians, comparing patient survey scores before and after the intervention.
Potential Biases
Differences in patient demographics between intervention and control groups could introduce bias.
Limitations
The study's results may not generalize to older patients and were limited to lower performing physicians.
Participant Demographics
Patients of intervention physicians were more likely to be college graduates and non-white compared to control group patients.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.02
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
Want to read the original?
Access the complete publication on the publisher's website