CommunicationOne of the most important parts of the physician patient communication is the patients perception of the communication in the consultation. Patients adherence and satisfaction are directly linked to the way that they perceive and interpret the consultation. (Street, 977) This is demonstrated in the article, Analyzing Communication in Medical Consultations, Do Behavioral Measures Correspond to Patients Perceptions?. This investigation of 115 pediatric consultations examined this issue and yielded several notable conclusions. First, less satisfied patients received more directives and proportionally less patient centered utterances from physicians than did more satisfied parents. Second, findings were mixed regarding the degree to which behavioral measures related to analogue measures of the parents perceptions. For example, the doctors use of patient centered statements was predictive of parents perceptions of the physicians interpersonal sensitivity and partnership building, but the amount of information physicians provided parents was unrelated to judgments of the doctors informativeness. Third, with some important exceptions, relationships between behavioral measures and parents evaluations did not vary for the parents differing in education and anxiety for the childs health. Finally, behavioral measures in the form of tended to be better predictors of the parents perceptions than were measures in the form of proportions. (Street, 976)This is an important study because it looks at and measures the patients satisfaction with care, understanding of medical information and health improvements. This is at the center of the consultation or interview, effective communication. This research is important because it informs us of how physician patient interactions determine the medical outcome of the illness. The patient is viewed as the sick or unnatural being that requires to be made whole again. It is important...
