PapersFlow Research Brief
Patient-Provider Communication in Healthcare
Research Guide
What is Patient-Provider Communication in Healthcare?
Patient-provider communication in healthcare is the interactive process between physicians and patients that facilitates shared decision making, patient-centered care, risk comprehension, and trust, directly influencing healthcare outcomes.
This field encompasses 46,450 works focused on physician communication, health decision aids, numeracy skills, and patient participation. Studies show effective communication correlates with improved patient health outcomes, as reviewed in multiple analyses. Decision aids enhance knowledge, value clarity, and active decision-making roles compared to usual care.
Topic Hierarchy
Research Sub-Topics
Shared Decision Making Models
Researchers develop and validate conceptual frameworks for integrating patient preferences into clinical decisions across specialties. Studies evaluate implementation barriers and outcome impacts in real-world encounters.
Health Decision Aids Effectiveness
Systematic reviews assess decision aids' impact on knowledge, decisional conflict, and choice congruence in screening and treatment contexts. Research designs tools for diverse populations including low numeracy groups.
Physician-Patient Communication Outcomes
Longitudinal studies link communication quality to health outcomes like adherence, satisfaction, and physiological markers. Interventions target skills for risk communication and empathy expression.
Patient Numeracy and Risk Comprehension
Research measures numeracy's role in interpreting probabilistic risks and develops visualization strategies for low-literacy patients. Studies test interventions in cancer screening and chronic disease contexts.
Bad News Delivery Protocols
Protocols like SPIKES are refined and tested for delivering cancer diagnoses, evaluating emotional distress and satisfaction. Cross-cultural adaptations address diverse patient expectations.
Why It Matters
Effective patient-provider communication improves health outcomes, with Stewart (1995) reviewing studies that demonstrate correlations between communication quality and patient results, providing a basis for medical education curricula. Decision aids, as shown in Stacey et al. (2017), increase patient knowledge, informedness, value clarity, active roles, and accurate risk perceptions across treatment and screening contexts, with 6533 citations reflecting their impact. The SPIKES protocol by Baile et al. (2000) offers a six-step method for delivering bad news to cancer patients, cited 2920 times, enhancing disclosure practices in oncology. Shared decision-making models, like Elwyn et al. (2012), support clinical implementation, while Barry and Edgman-Levitan (2012) position it as central to patient-centered care at medical decision crossroads.
Reading Guide
Where to Start
"Effective physician-patient communication and health outcomes: a review." by Moira Stewart (1995) is the starting point, as it reviews correlations between communication and outcomes, identifying components for education and practice.
Key Papers Explained
Stewart (1995) establishes the link between effective communication and health outcomes, foundational for later models. Charles et al. (1997) define shared decision-making as a two-party process building on that link, while Elwyn et al. (2012) provide a practical clinical model extending it. Barry and Edgman-Levitan (2012) elevate shared decision-making to the pinnacle of patient-centered care, synthesizing prior concepts. Stacey et al. (2017) supply Cochrane evidence on decision aids that operationalize these ideas.
Paper Timeline
Most-cited paper highlighted in red. Papers ordered chronologically.
Advanced Directions
Current work builds on established reviews like Stacey et al. (2017) and Elwyn et al. (2012), with no recent preprints or news indicating focus on refining decision aids and protocols like SPIKES in standard practice.
Papers at a Glance
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the components of effective physician-patient communication?
Effective physician-patient communication correlates with improved patient health outcomes, as demonstrated across studies reviewed by Stewart (1995). Components identified include those usable for medical education curricula and office practice analysis. These elements foster better health results through enhanced interaction.
How do decision aids affect patient decision making?
Decision aids make people feel more knowledgeable, better informed, clearer about values, and more active in decisions compared to usual care, per Stacey et al. (2017). They also improve accurate risk perceptions. Evidence supports their use in varied health treatment and screening contexts.
What is the SPIKES protocol for bad news delivery?
The SPIKES protocol consists of six steps for disclosing unfavorable information to cancer patients, as outlined by Baile et al. (2000). It addresses requirements from research on breaking bad news. The approach is straightforward and practical for clinical use.
Why do physicians not follow clinical practice guidelines?
Physicians may not follow guidelines due to barriers varying by setting, as reviewed by Cabana et al. (1999). Studies on adherence improvement may lack generalizability. A differential diagnosis approach aids in addressing specific reasons.
What defines shared decision-making in medical encounters?
Shared decision-making requires at least two parties, patient and physician, in a collaborative process, per Charles et al. (1997). It involves mutual agreement on treatment options. The model emphasizes joint participation in clinical choices.
How is patient-centredness measured in communication?
Patient-centredness features a conceptual framework and empirical review by Mead and Bower (2000). It assesses communication through validated elements in healthcare interactions. The framework guides empirical evaluation of provider-patient dynamics.
Open Research Questions
- ? How can barriers to guideline adherence be systematically overcome across diverse healthcare settings?
- ? What specific mechanisms link enhanced patient knowledge from decision aids to long-term health outcomes?
- ? In what ways does physician training in SPIKES protocol improve emotional outcomes for patients receiving bad news?
- ? How do numeracy skills moderate risk comprehension in shared decision-making processes?
- ? What role does trust in healthcare play in sustaining patient participation over multiple consultations?
Recent Trends
The field maintains 46,450 works with no specified 5-year growth rate.
Highly cited papers from 1995-2017, such as Stacey et al. with 6533 citations and Cabana et al. (1999) with 6535, continue to shape research.
2017No recent preprints or news coverage in the last 12 months signals steady reliance on foundational studies.
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