scholarly journals Exploring Patients’ Insight, Concerns, and Expectations at Dermatology Clinic: An Observational Study in 2 Centers in Scotland and Spain

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 1197-1202
Author(s):  
Eliseo Martínez-García ◽  
Andrew Affleck ◽  
Pariyawan Rakvit ◽  
Salvador Arias-Santiago ◽  
Agustín Buendía-Eisman
Keyword(s):  
Observational Study ◽  
Medical Condition ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Patient Communication ◽  
Medical Consultation ◽  
Doctor Patient Communication ◽  
Dermatology Clinic ◽  
Different Levels ◽  
Clinic Visits

Background: Effective doctor–patient communication is of great importance in order to optimize medical consultation outcomes. However, it can be difficult to address all patients’ concerns and expectations in clinic. Objective: To identify how much patients know about their medical condition, their fears and concerns, and their expectations, as well as evaluate the benefits of using a preconsultation questionnaire routinely. Methods: This study included consecutive patients attending dermatology outpatients from Dundee (Scotland) and Granada (Spain) who completed a simple preconsultation 3-part questionnaire. Answers to this questionnaire were discussed during clinic visits. Results: Two hundred patients participated in the study. Of all, 111 (55.5%) patients already knew their diagnosis or were able to describe their symptoms and/or feelings quite accurately at their visit to Dermatology. Most patients (85%) had fears regarding their dermatological problem. A majority of patients (97%) came to clinic with specific expectations, and many (41.5%) had multiple expectations. A high proportion of patients (74%) found the questionnaire useful. Conclusion: Patients attend clinic with different levels of knowledge, fears, and expectations. We recommend using a brief and easy to use preconsultation questionnaire as a cost-effective way of enhancing doctor–patient communication.

scholarly journals The Interpersonal Dimension of Online Patient Forums: How Patients Manage Informational and Relational Aspects in Response to Posted Questions

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (51) ◽  
pp. 21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antoinette Mary Fage-Butler ◽  
Matilde Nisbeth Jensen
Keyword(s):  
New Media ◽  
Medical Information ◽  
Medical Condition ◽  
Disease Patient ◽  
Clinical Situation ◽  
Patient Communication ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Doctor Patient Communication ◽  
Interpersonal Dimension ◽  
E Mail

The internet has revolutionised the ways in which patients acquire medical information, a development which has clearly been welcomed by patients: seeking out health information online is now the third most popular activity after internet searches and e-mail (Timimi 2012). However, it has led to concerns about the quality of the information, the ability of lay people to understand it (Gerber/Eiser 2001) as well as potential cyberchondria (Starcevic/Berle 2013). In light of these conflicting perspectives, this paper examines one such source of online information, namely, the patient forum where patients communicate with other patients about a particular medical condition. Although doctor-patient communication in the clinical situation has been extensively researched, little is known about how patient-patient communication is managed in online situations such as patient forums. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to research in that relatively un-researched area by examining how patients manage relational and informational aspects of communication in online patient forums. Whilst a typical interactional structure of the patient forum exchange is question and answer, we focus on responses to questions on patient forums.This paper reports on the findings of a thematic analysis (Braun/Clarke 2006) of an online thyroid disease patient forum, investigating how interpersonal aspects are negotiated where patients share condition-related knowledge. We identify themes that relate both to informational and relational aspects as well as themes that fit under a new category which we call ‘info-relational’ as it subsumes informational and relational elements. We discuss a number of theoretical implications, which are valuable as existing health communication models and understandings of patient expertise have yet to catch up with the effects of new media such as online patient forums.

Doctor-patient communication: Guidelines for improvements

2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamye M. Hickman ◽  
Kelly E. Caine ◽  
Aideen J. Stronge ◽  
Richard Pak ◽  
Wendy A. Rogers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Patient Communication ◽  
Doctor Patient Communication

Exploring web-mediated communication: A genre-based linguistic study for new patterns of doctor–patient interaction in online environment

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (2-3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marianna Zummo
Keyword(s):  
Patient Communication ◽  
Online Environment ◽  
Patient Relationship ◽  
Medical Visit ◽  
Mediated Communication ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Doctor Patient Communication ◽  
Patient Interaction ◽  
Computer Mediated ◽  
New Form

This paper questions the nature of the communicative event that takes place in online contexts between doctors and web-users, showing computer-mediated linguistic norms and discussing the nature of the participants’ roles. Based on an analysis of 1005 posts occurring between doctors and the users of health service websites, I analyse how doctor–patient communication is affected by the medium and how health professionals overcome issues concerning the virtual medical visit. Results suggest that (a) online medical answers offer a different service from that expected by users, as doctors cannot always fulfill patient requests, and (b) net consultations use aspects of traditional doctor–patient exchange and yet present a language and a style that are affected by the computer-mediated environment. Additionally, it seems that this new form leads to a different model of doctor–patient relationship. The findings are intended to provide new insights into web-based discourse in doctor–patient communication and to demonstrate the emergence of a new style in medical communication.

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