Related Experiment Videos
Interpretation in doctor-patient interviews: a sociolinguistic analysis
1UC Berkeley/UCSF Joint Medical Program, San Francisco, New York, N.Y. 10040.
Culture, Medicine and Psychiatry
|June 1, 1988
Summary
Effective doctor-patient communication requires conversational cooperation for accurate illness interpretation. Misunderstandings in conversation lead to flawed clinical pictures and lost patient information.
Area of Science:
- Sociolinguistics
- Medical Anthropology
- Clinical Communication
Background:
- A meaning-centered approach in clinical practice necessitates aligning the clinical illness picture with the patient's lived experience.
- Accurate interpretation of patient-reported symptoms is crucial for effective medical diagnosis and treatment.
Observation:
- Analysis of doctor-patient interview transcripts reveals a critical interpretive process occurring at the conversational level.
- The study highlights the concept of "conversational cooperation" as a prerequisite for successful symptom interpretation.
Findings:
- Inadequate "conversational cooperation" hinders the accurate interpretation of patient symptoms and experiences.
- Poor conversational interpretation results in the formation of an inaccurate clinical picture of the illness.
- Clinically relevant information is often lost due to failures in conversational interpretation.
Implications:
- Understanding the sociolinguistic dynamics of doctor-patient interviews can improve clinical practice.
- Bridging anthropological and sociolinguistic perspectives enhances the comprehension of how differing illness perspectives impact communication.
- Enhancing "conversational cooperation" can lead to more accurate diagnoses and better patient care outcomes.