Patient‐centered Communication

OBJECTIVE:  To investigate patient preferences for a patient‐centered or a biomedical communication style. DESIGN:  Randomized study. SETTING:  Urgent care and ambulatory medicine clinics in an academic medical center. PARTICIPANTS:  We recruited 250 English‐speaking adult patients, excluding patients whose medical illnesses prevented evaluation of the study intervention. INTERVENTION:  Participants watched one of three videotaped scenarios of simulated patient‐physician discussions of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Each participant watched two versions of the scenario (biomedical vs. patient‐centered communication style) and completed written and oral questionnaires to assess outcome measurements. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS:  Main outcome measures were 1) preferences for a patient‐centered versus a biomedical communication style; and 2) predictors of communication style preference. Participants who preferred the patient‐centered style (69%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 63 to 75) tended to be younger (82%[51/62] for age < 30; 68%[100/148] for ages 30–59; 55%[21/38] for age > 59; P < .03), more educated (76%[54/71] for postcollege education; 73%[94/128] for some college; 49%[23/47] for high school only; P = .003), use CAM (75%[140/188] vs. 55%[33/60] for nonusers; P = .006), and have a patient‐centered physician (88%[74/84] vs. 30%[16/54] for those with a biomedical physician; P < .0001). On multivariate analysis, factors independently associated with preferring the patient‐centered style included younger age, use of herbal CAM, having a patient‐centered physician, and rating a “doctor's interest in you as a person” as “very important.” CONCLUSIONS:  Given that a significant proportion of patients prefer a biomedical communication style, practicing physicians and medical educators should strive for flexible approaches to physician‐patient communication.