Do you like your primary care provider? Is your relationship with your doctor satisfactory? To no one’s surprise, the doctor-patient alliance is an essential element in the practice of healthcare today. In today’s society, many people tend to overlook the value of these relationships. As more research and studies are going public, this special bond has some people questioning how crucial a positive interaction between the patient and doctor must be for the delivery of high-quality care. The simple answer to their question is that such bonds are both effective and necessary when it comes to achieving a positive outcome. In order to achieve the best results, the healthcare system must restore trust and successful communication between the two parties; the doctor and the patient. Although scientists have called to conduct more research on this concept, studies have already shown that a valuable clinician-patient interaction has a small, but very significant impact on patient care. Years ago, patients who went to see multiple doctors in order to get what they wanted and needed were said to have been “doctor shopping.” Doctor shopping happens for a variety of reasons such as: insufficient communication between the patient and clinician, personal characteristics or qualities of the provider, the patient’s own lack of understanding of the diagnosis or treatment, and more (Sansone, “Doctor Shopping: A Phenomenon”). Although there can be many other reasons for people to doctor shop,
In response to this model, however, a later work by Szasz and Hollender (1956) observed a new social interaction between physician-patient relationships and called the participation model, the shared decision-making model. He described the resulting model to be a mutually inclusive relationship, whereby the physician assists in the choices made by the patient, undertaking a more complementary role to the patient’s medical decisions (Emanuel and Emanuel, 1995; Gale, 2014; Siahpush, 2000; Szasz and Hollender, 1956).
Susan Goold an MD and Mack Lipkin also an MD both state that this way of communication is the “keystone of care.” They both believe the crucial component between the patient and doctor is for the patient to trust their doctor to disclose private information. You can show trust through communication by assuring and communicating to the patient that their information is confidential. The relationship therefore honestly determines the quality and extensiveness of information obtained and understood by each the doctor and patient. This communication is a two-way transaction that is needed to be understood in both ways and situations.
The main features of the model are that physicians diagnosed problems and suggested treatments, led the healthcare system, received fee-for-service payments from providers, and hospitals reimbursed their medical expenses. The model made physician-patient relationships a system of trust in compassion, control, and competence. Physicians’ compassion in their care for their patients is crucial because it creates a strong interpersonal patient-physician relationship. Control is evident due to the fact that primary practitioners are the “captain of the ship” where they diagnose patients, give referrals to specialists, and prescribe medication, among other things. They are central and autonomous in making all medical decisions. Competence in physician’s practices such as providing professional advisory to patients ensures quality of care. However, this “trust” creates many issues for the patient. Patients’ doubts or mistrust often stems from situations wherein they were denied complete access to information, or if they were not fully informed by their physician on all of the benefits, risks and costs of various treatments. It is every patient’s right to have the power to make a medical decision, regardless of their physician’s viewpoint; patients should also be informed of whether their physician might have any personal conflicts of interest or qualms about a certain healthcare route. Trust between the physician and the
The quality of healthcare the patient receives is highly dependent on the quality of the interactions with their healthcare provider. There is an ample collection of research data that reinforces the benefits of effective communication and health outcomes for patients and healthcare teams. It has been shown that enhances in self-management through increased patient understanding is reflective of providers' communication effectiveness (Heisler, Bouknight, Hayward, Smith, Kerr, 2002). Improving interpersonal skills in a healthcare environment can increase patient satisfaction, which is likely to have a positive effect on treatment adherence and health outcomes (Renzi et al., 2001). It is this relation that a patient feels with their clinician
ProMedica surveyed over 24,800 respondents to discover evolution of consumer from required physician referrals to technology advancements creating health care consumerism notion. Physician’s referrals dropped in half from by 2009; which was the leading influence during this time period (Winan and Kasubski, 2011).
The expectation that patients have when seeking medical treatment is to receive quality care that improves their health condition from a knowledgeable and trusted source that literally treats them as if their life is in the doctor’s hands. The current
The article that I chose was “Assessment of Trust in Physician: A Systematic Review of Measures”. In this article, you will find that the discussion about patients trust in physicians are often positive when patients receive good health reports. Trust in physician can be defined as the patient’s optimistic acceptance of a vulnerable situation and the belief that the physician will care for the patient’s interests. Trust is a fundamentally important aspect of medical treatment relationships. Studies have established that patient trust predicts instrumental variables such as use of preventive services, adherence, and continued enrollment at least as well as satisfaction does, and is more salient for measuring the quality of ongoing relationships.
In my metaphor for communication between doctors and patients I decided to do a rose garden. One of the big takeaways from all the research that I have done so far, is that the key to a healthy and content patient is good communication. Many doctors and patients struggle to effectively communicate thus affecting the overall health of both patient and healthcare provider. In my garden, there are a number of symbols and aspects that I consider important to have a good communication between both parties.
Choosing a family physician, in my perspective; consumers would start with their reference groups. The consumers would start asking family members, friends, co-workers for recommendations; if they know a good family physician with impressive credentials around town. Most consumers would begin by assessing the physician's reputation, primarily through word of mouth. Asking their more knowledgeable close friends in where they can find a good physician. Another way in finding of a physician’s reputation is by scrutinizing the clinic (hospital) staff. I have seen people literally asking the nurses about the physician.
Why is it so important to build a solid relationship between a physician and a patient? When a patient visits a physician, if a comfortable relationship has not been initially developed, the patient may struggle in explaining any problems that they are experiencing. When a doctor and a patient create a professional, yet pleasant relationship, this immediately allows the patient to feel a sense of trust when speaking about personal complications. Although the experience and knowledge of a physician is very important in effectively determining and assisting in the matter, a reliable relationship can also affect the outcome. By establishing a relationship between a physician and a
Watson (2011) recommended helping building trust and relationship, the writer was able to establish trusting, caring relationship with patient by addressing
Effective communication can be the main perpetrator in an unsuccessful relationship. Why is it so important? Well communication is one of the building blocks to gaining trust in a relationship. Some physicians fail to realize how valuable their input can be to a patient, these same physicians also fail to realize how much impact they can have on their patients’ lives. It’s important that physicians are mindful of how they interact with their patients because it’s important to have a trusting relationship with their patients. Or else, how would a patient be able to trust instructions given to them in order to have a healthier outcome?
Health communication is a diverse enough subject matter that in order to properly understand its nuances and specifics, we must look to other aspects of communication to fully grasp it. In medicine, the interaction between doctor and patient is key. It is the basis for sharing information, communicating diagnoses, and enacting any plans for remedies. Missteps in communication or the act of not communicating can be dangerous for patients. This paper looks at different ways in which interpersonal communication in regards to doctor/nurse to patient interaction can positively and negatively affect health outcomes, and overall understanding for patients.
Doctor-patient relationships may be endangered by new financial and organizational arrangements, which increase concerns about conflicts of interest and reduce patient trust. Patients in managed care who are not satisfied with their doctors’ orders may want tests and referral to specialist and if that’s not given patients will start questioning whether the referral and tests actually are not indicated, or whether physicians are just trying save money for themselves other the healthcare plan. Additionally, patients may query if physicians are applying independent clinical conclusion or simply doing what the managed care organization directs them to do (Lo, B). Even an observation that physicians have conflicts of interest may lead patients to inquiry physicians' recommendations to relinquish referrals or tests. As a result, faith in physicians may be demoralized.
2. This reference helps me to identify with the types of communication. It gives insight on the experience the patient would have in communicating with their provider. “Although it is a common belief that physicians talking to patients reduces patient anxiety and increases patient satisfaction, there is no indication that talking to multiple health care providers would also be beneficial” (Wanzer M. B., Booth-Butterfield M., Gruber, K. 2004). It also brings to attention that healthcare