Patient-Resident Gender Concordance Influences Perceived Communication Quality in Orthopedic Care

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Health Communication
• Patient Experience

Background:

• Effective communication is crucial in healthcare, particularly in surgical specialties like orthopedics.
• Patient perceptions of communication can be influenced by various demographic factors.
• Assessing resident communication skills through patient feedback is essential for training improvement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate orthopedic residents' communication effectiveness using patient-reported outcomes.
• To investigate the influence of patient-resident demographic concordance (age, race, gender) on communication perceptions.

Main Methods:

• Prospective observational study at an urban academic institution.
• Patient surveys including the Communication Assessment Tool administered during outpatient visits.
• Analysis of demographic concordance and communication ratings using nonparametric statistics and multivariable regression.

Main Results:

• Gender-concordant pairs reported significantly higher communication ratings than discordant pairs.
• Female patients perceived communication as more understandable than male patients.
• Older patients reported higher satisfaction; gender and racial concordance predicted higher satisfaction.

Conclusions:

• Patient-resident gender and racial concordance are linked to improved communication scores.
• Integrating patient feedback and tailored communication training can foster equitable interactions.
• Findings underscore the importance of addressing demographic factors in medical education for diverse patient populations.