Patient education and counseling
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Little is known about the best approaches and format for measuring physicians' communication skills in an online environment. This study examines the reliability and validity of scores from two Web-based communication skill assessment formats. ⋯ With efficient and reliable scoring, the Web offers an important way to measure and potentially enhance physicians' communication skills.
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Comparative Study
Grappling with cultural differences; communication between oncologists and immigrant cancer patients with and without interpreters.
Immigrants report challenges communicating with their health team. This study compared oncology consultations of immigrants with and without interpreters vs Anglo-Australian patients. ⋯ Guidelines and proven training programmes are needed to improve communication with immigrant patients, particularly those with interpreters.
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The placebo effect, or response, has evolved from being thought of as a nuisance in clinical and pharmacological research to a biological phenomenon worthy of scientific investigation in its own right. The study of the placebo effect and of its negative counterpart, the nocebo effect, is basically the study of the psychosocial context around the treatment and the patient, and it plays a crucial role in the therapeutic outcome. ⋯ This recent research has revealed that these placebo-induced biochemical and cellular changes in a patient's brain are very similar to those induced by drugs. This new way of thinking may have profound implications both for clinical trials and for medical practice.
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Comparative Study
Assessing patient-centered communication in a family practice setting: how do we measure it, and whose opinion matters?
This study evaluated variables thought to influence patient's perceptions of patient-centeredness. We also compared results from two coding schemes that purport to evaluate patient-centeredness, the Measure of Patient-Centered Communication (MPCC) and the 4 Habits Coding Scheme (4HCS). ⋯ The patient's perspective is important. Family practice providers can facilitate a more positive patient perception of patient-centeredness by addressing patient concerns to help reduce patient uncertainty, and by negotiating decision-making roles.
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Patients express their negative emotions in medical consultations either implicitly as cue to an underlying unpleasant emotion or explicitly as a clear, unambiguous concern. The health provider's response to such cues and concerns is important for the outcome of consultations. Yet, physicians often neglect patient's negative emotions. Most studies of this subject are from primary health care. We aimed to describe how physicians in a hospital respond to negative emotions in an outpatient setting. ⋯ Medical training should enable physicians' to explore the patients' emotions in situations where it will improve the medical treatment.