Patient education and counseling
-
This study examines the reliability and validity of the relational communication scale for observational measurement (RCS-O) using a random sample of 80 videotaped interactions of medical students interviewing standardized patients (SPs). The RCS-O is a 34-item instrument designed to measure the nonverbal communication of physicians interacting with patients. The instrument was applied and examined in two different interview scenarios. ⋯ In the year 3 scenario, 26 items met acceptable levels of inter-rater agreement and reliability. Factor analysis indicated that in both scenarios each of the four primary relational communication dimensions was salient: intimacy, composure, formality, and dominance. Measures of correlation and differences involving the RCS-O dimensions and structural features of the interviews (e.g., number of questions asked by the medical student) are examined.