Doctor-patient communication: a review and a rationale for using an assessment framework

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Medical Communication
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Miscommunication in healthcare leads to significant inefficiencies and costs.
• Perceptual gaps exist between physician self-assessment and patient experience of communication.
• Metrics like HCAHPS are used to assess healthcare outcomes and guide improvements in doctor-patient communication (DPC).

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how enhancing doctor-patient communication (DPC) can mitigate healthcare delivery inefficiencies.
• To explore the relationship between DPC and healthcare quality, patient satisfaction, and hospital performance metrics.

Main Methods:

• Survey of causes and costs associated with miscommunication in healthcare settings.
• Analysis of perceptual differences in communication between physicians and patients.
• Utilization of the doctor-patient communication assessment (DPCA) framework to measure DPC effectiveness.

Main Results:

• Improved DPC is linked to more accurate medical care and increased patient satisfaction.
• DPC is a strong predictor of clinical outcomes and overall patient hospital ratings.
• The DPCA framework provides empirical measurement of DPC effectiveness.

Conclusions:

• Further research is needed to understand DPC's impact on HCAHPS ratings.
• Qualitative methods, such as content analysis of DPC discourse, are recommended for future studies.
• Developing DPCA training programs with norming procedures and databases can demonstrate efficacy and build support for DPC initiatives.