Patient education and counseling
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Age is generally an inverse predictor of health literacy. However, the role of cognitive dysfunction among older adults in this relationship is not understood. ⋯ Our findings suggest that older patients with cognitive dysfunction have the greatest need for health literacy interventions.
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To investigate parents' experiences and views of clinician communication during primary care consultations for respiratory tract infections (RTIs) in children under 12. ⋯ Clinicians should tailor diagnostic explanations to parental expectations and concerns and address the symptoms of significance to parents. Clinicians should provide advice about symptom relief and more precise safety netting advice.
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To explore patients' experiences with online health communities in which both physicians and patients participate (i.e. patient-to-doctor or 'P2D' communities). ⋯ Patients use P2D communities to perform medical, emotional and lifestyle activities. The presence of physicians in P2D communities may inadvertently suggest that the quality of information used for the activities, is controlled. When information is not officially being checked, this should be stated explicitly on the website and supplemented with a statement that information is only indicative and that patients should at all times contact their own physicians.
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With increasing exposure, medical students may forget that technical jargon is unfamiliar to laypeople. To investigate this possibility, authors assessed student perceptions of patient understanding across different years in medical school. ⋯ Training about patient knowledge of medical jargon may be a useful addition to communication skills curricula.
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Surgeons and psychiatrists have been described as two contrary groups, the one healing by hands and the other by words. Empathy is needed in every physician-patient relationship. We tested whether (1) surgeons and psychiatrists show different levels of cognitive and emotional empathy; (2) measurements of cognitive and emotional empathy correlate with physician-specific empathy; and (3) gender, experience, and career choices are influencing factors. ⋯ Further research is needed to learn about the effects of general medical training on empathy.