April 4-6, 2024 • Hyatt Regency • Lexington, KY
Innovations in Health Communication
Innovations in Health Communication
Abstract: Utilizing Patient-Centered Communication in Conversations of Women’s Pain: An Experimental Investigation of Provider Messages
This message design experiment explores the ways provider communication influences patient beliefs about the physician and their own decisions to disclose health information in the context of female reproductive health. Participants (N = 121) were at least 18 years of age and indicated that they have a reproductive system and/or menstrual cycle. Participants read one of two messages from a healthcare provider: a control message and a message highlighting the principles of patient-centered communication. Patient-centered communication (PCC) is meant to build better patient-provider relationships and communication (Roter & Hall, 2004). PCC urges healthcare professionals to encourage and support a patient’s ability and willingness to participate in their own care (Kim et al., 2020). This communication includes encouraging patients to disclose any aspects of their social, emotional, and physical health in relation to their pain. Previous research indicates that listening, trust, and openness were important aspects of patient-provider relationships and patient-centered communication (Haverfield et al., 2018).
Participants reflected on the message as they responded to a measurement of general beliefs surrounding the physician. The results indicate that there is no significant relationship between physician messaging and patient beliefs (H1); however, there is a relationship between physician messaging and physician gender (H2). Existing literature indicates that this is due to women with reproductive pain being more likely to seek female physicians, presumably due to having a shared identity (Hall & Roter, 2002). Due to structural norms and gender assumptions, female physicians are also typically expected to provide more compassion, or engage in more “bedside manner” practices, also possibly explaining these results (Hall & Roter, 2002).
Participants in the survey were additionally asked to respond to physician messages as a part of the experiment. Participant responses to the physician messages were coded by length of response (H3), pain descriptors (H4), and quality of life (H5). Responses were given code of 1 for having the code present and 0 for an absent code for pain descriptors and quality of life. Results indicate that the presence of patient-centered communication significantly affects the length of patient responses and mentions of quality of life. By improving healthcare interactions by using patient-centered communication, patients may be more likely to disclose about their pain, seek treatment, and receive proper healthcare. Additionally, the results indicate the importance healthcare workers and medical providers using patient-centered communication. Further investigation of this design should explore individuals currently experiencing and seeking medical care for pelvic/reproductive pain, as the current study only has N = 11 participants with this criterion. Future studies should explore different populations, specific aspects of PCC, and longitudinal studies.
Participants reflected on the message as they responded to a measurement of general beliefs surrounding the physician. The results indicate that there is no significant relationship between physician messaging and patient beliefs (H1); however, there is a relationship between physician messaging and physician gender (H2). Existing literature indicates that this is due to women with reproductive pain being more likely to seek female physicians, presumably due to having a shared identity (Hall & Roter, 2002). Due to structural norms and gender assumptions, female physicians are also typically expected to provide more compassion, or engage in more “bedside manner” practices, also possibly explaining these results (Hall & Roter, 2002).
Participants in the survey were additionally asked to respond to physician messages as a part of the experiment. Participant responses to the physician messages were coded by length of response (H3), pain descriptors (H4), and quality of life (H5). Responses were given code of 1 for having the code present and 0 for an absent code for pain descriptors and quality of life. Results indicate that the presence of patient-centered communication significantly affects the length of patient responses and mentions of quality of life. By improving healthcare interactions by using patient-centered communication, patients may be more likely to disclose about their pain, seek treatment, and receive proper healthcare. Additionally, the results indicate the importance healthcare workers and medical providers using patient-centered communication. Further investigation of this design should explore individuals currently experiencing and seeking medical care for pelvic/reproductive pain, as the current study only has N = 11 participants with this criterion. Future studies should explore different populations, specific aspects of PCC, and longitudinal studies.