The Evolvement of Physicians' Communication Behavior Induced by the Introduction of EMRs into Primary Care

The Evolvement of Physicians' Communication Behavior Induced by the Introduction of EMRs into Primary Care

Shiri Assis-Hassid, Iris Reychav, Tsipi Heart, Joseph S. Pliskin
Copyright: © 2015 |Pages: 11
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-5888-2.ch338
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Background

The physician-patient relationship is one of the most complex inter-personal relationships (Ong et al., 1995). This complexity can be attributed to several factors: first, the relationship is held between individuals that are by definition not in equal positions; second, the relationship is not necessarily a voluntary one (Chaitchik et al., 1992); third, the physician-patient relationship is very much led by emotion and concern for issues of vital importance (Ong et al., 1995). Researchers in the medical communication literature suggest that physicians show distinct and apparent communication behavioral patterns (Frankel & Stein, 1999) which have different effects on the relationship and communication established during the medical encounter. Analyzing these behaviors can lead to understanding how they influence various components of the medical encounter as well as medical outcomes such as: patient satisfaction, patient behaviors and well-being, patient adherence to physician instructions, building rapport with the patient, etc. Recognizing behaviors that are considered more effective and that may lead to positive outcomes provides an opportunity for formulating recommendations for improving physicians' communication with patients during the medical encounter (Roter & Hall, 2006).

Key Terms in this Chapter

Physician-Patient Communication: All aspects of communication and dialogue in a given social interaction. The communication process entails both verbal and non-verbal behaviors. Non verbal behaviors may include body posture and body language, eye contact etc. Verbal behaviors include tone of voice, course of conversation, direct verbal messages etc. The general practitioner (GP) and his patient have a unique relationship which is different than the relationship with other types of physicians, mainly because of the continuity of it.

Patient Centered Care: Medical care which focuses first and foremost on the patient (as opposed to the illness), while taking into consideration the patient's history and psychology as part of the patient's treatment.

Electronic Medical Record (EMR): A computerized record of a patient's medical information and medical history in any care delivery setting. Included in this information are patient demographics, progress notes, problems, medications, vital signs, past medical history, immunizations, laboratory data, and radiology reports. The EMR has the ability to generate a complete record of a clinical patient encounter, as well as supporting other care-related activities directly or indirectly via interface—including evidence-based decision support, quality management, and outcomes reporting.

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