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How doctors move from generic goals to specific communicative behavior in real practice consultations
Wemke Veldhuijzen1, Karen Mogendorff, Paul Ram
1School for Public Health and Primary Care (CAPHRI), Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands. Wemke.Veldhuijzen@maastrichtuniversity.nl
Patient Education and Counseling
|December 11, 2012
Summary
General practitioners (GPs) dynamically select communication strategies during patient consultations based on situational evaluations and evolving goals. Tailored communication training focusing on goal setting and strategy adaptation is recommended for enhanced clinical communication skills.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Communication in Healthcare
- General Practice
Background:
- Clinical communication recommendations often lack alignment with real-world doctor-patient interactions.
- Understanding the decision-making process of doctors in selecting communicative actions is crucial for improving patient care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how general practitioners (GPs) choose communicative actions during consultations.
- To develop a model explaining the selection of communicative actions in clinical settings.
Main Methods:
- Stimulated recall interviews were conducted with 15 GPs.
- GPs commented on recordings of their consultations.
- Grounded theory principles guided the data analysis.
Main Results:
- A model was developed illustrating GPs' situational adaptation of communicative actions.
- GPs' evaluations of the situation lead to situation-specific goals.
- Dynamic goals necessitate constant revision of communication strategies and actions.
- GPs balance patient needs, preferences, and the medical situation when setting goals.
Conclusions:
- GPs' communicative actions are driven by the specific situation and evolving goals.
- Holistic communication training, emphasizing goal selection and strategy matching, is more effective than generic skills training.
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