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Navigating Sensitive Conversations: Patient-Centered Communication and Politeness Markers in Chinese Online Medical
Yidi Wang1, Xiaoya Yang2, Jiaying Liu1
1Department of Communication, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA.
Patient-centered communication (PCC) and politeness in online medical consultations (OMCs) significantly boost patient satisfaction, especially for sensitive sexual health discussions in China. Normalizing concerns and fostering collaboration are key.
Area of Science:
- Digital Health
- Communication in Healthcare
- Sexual Health
Background:
- Sexual and reproductive health discussions are taboo in China, hindering patient care.
- Online medical consultations (OMCs) provide a discreet channel for sensitive health topics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of patient-centered communication (PCC) on patient satisfaction in Chinese OMCs.
- To analyze conversational themes and politeness markers in sensitive gynecology and andrology consultations.
Main Methods:
- Mixed-methods approach combining theme-oriented discourse analysis (TODA) and content analysis.
- Analysis of 328 OMCs from a popular Chinese online healthcare platform.
- Logistic regression to assess politeness marker influence on patient satisfaction.
Main Results:
- PCC themes enhancing satisfaction include normalizing sensitive concerns and collaborative decision-making.
- Polite words and best wishes positively correlated with patient satisfaction.
- Downtoners, emojis, and sentence-final particles did not significantly impact satisfaction.
Conclusions:
- PCC and specific politeness markers are crucial for improving patient satisfaction in OMCs.
- These communication strategies are particularly vital for addressing sensitive sexual health issues.
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