Process analysis of two dimensions of the negotiated approach in relation to satisfaction in the initial interview

This study examined relationships between patient and clinician satisfaction ratings and the use of a negotiated approach to the initial psychiatric interview. Two dimensions of the negotiated approach were distinguished--mutuality in making treatment decisions and mutuality in communicating explanatory information. Forty-four patients sampled from a larger pool of 158 patients in a walk-in clinic of a large, urban general hospital participated in the study. At the conclusion of clinical interviews, three kinds of satisfaction ratings were obtained--those of patients' satisfaction, clinicians' perceptions of patients' satisfaction, and clinicians' own satisfaction. Transcripts of patients' audiotaped interviews with these clinicians were independently rated on each of the 10 negotiated approach process measures, comprising five measures of each process dimension. Patient satisfaction was found to be associated with explanatory processes--being given clear and complete explanations concerning the recommended treatment plan, its rationale, and its link to the patient's complaints, and with decision-making processes-stating a request before the start of the disposition phase and having the clinician pursue consensus with the patient on the clinician's recommended treatment plan. None of the negotiation variables was significantly correlated with clinician satisfaction. Moreover, clinicians appeared to be inaccurate in their perception of the sources of patient satisfaction. The study's findings suggest that two sources of strain between the clinician and the patient that may adversely affect the outcomes of their initial interview are the divergence in their value systems concerning initial interview processes and the clinician's misreading of the patient's perspective.