Detection of psychologic complaints by general practitioners

|October 1, 1988

Summary

General practitioners (GPs) can improve patient care by adopting a patient-centered communication style. This approach enhances GPs

Area of Science:

Background:

Many patient complaints presenting as physical symptoms have underlying psychological origins.
General practitioners (GPs) vary in their sensitivity to psychological aspects and their ability to detect them.
Effective physician communication techniques are crucial for identifying psychological components of illness.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate how specific GP communication behaviors influence patients' disclosure of personal problems.
To examine the relationship between a GP's communication style and their sensitivity to the psychological aspects of patient complaints.
To identify a distinct conversational style in general practice.

Main Methods:

The study measured distinct features of physician-patient interaction, including attention, interest, concern, patient-centered attitude, complaint clarification, interview structure, and active seeking.
A factor analysis was used to identify a unified conversational style based on these features.
The relationship between this conversational style and patient/physician initiatives in problem presentation was analyzed.

Main Results:

A specific physician conversational style was identified, correlating with physician-led problem inquiry but inversely with patient-led problem disclosure.
An open, patient-centered physician communication style reduced the need for patients to initiate problem presentation.
Physician unresponsiveness was associated with increased patient initiatives in presenting problems.
The identified physician conversational style positively correlated with sensitivity to psychological aspects of complaints.

Conclusions:

Physician communication style significantly impacts patient disclosure of psychological issues.
An open, patient-centered approach by GPs is linked to greater sensitivity to patients' psychological needs.
Findings have implications for medical training, emphasizing communication skills for better patient assessment and care.

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