Effects of modeling on patient communication, satisfaction, and knowledge

This experimental study investigated the efficacy of two modeling procedures on enhancing patient communication. A pretreatment interview assessed knowledge, assertiveness, and other concomitant variables. A total of 150 subjects were randomly assigned to one of three treatment conditions. The two modeling conditions were videotaped presentations of a health educator interacting with a patient (i.e., model) who either asked questions or revealed problems. The control videotape included only the educator's presentation; no patient was shown. A subsequent standardized face-to-face patient education session was used to assess the impact of the intervention on patient communicative behaviors. A posttreatment interview assessed knowledge and satisfaction. Subjects who viewed a modeling videotape spoke more than subjects who viewed a control videotape. The bulk of our findings indicated that a question-asking model was generally more effective than a disclosive model in eliciting communicative behaviors. Knowledge scores were found to increase after the intervention, regardless of subjects' verbal participation. Subjects in either of the modeling conditions who spoke more indicated higher affective satisfaction.