Physician-patient communication refers to 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.
Published in Chapter:
The Effects of Electronic Medical Record (EMR) Use in Primary Care on the Physician-Patient Relationship
Shira Assis-Hassid (Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel), Iris Reychav (Ariel University Center, Israel), Joseph S. Pliskin (Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel), and Tsipi Heart Heart (Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel)
Copyright: © 2013
|Pages: 21
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-3986-7.ch007
Abstract
The implications of the physician-patient relationship and communication on healthcare quality have been widely discussed in previous research. Communication has been characterized as one of the most powerful, encompassing, and versatile instruments available to the physician, and it has been suggested that good physician-patient communication can improve healthcare outcomes. The incorporation of ICT in healthcare and, more specifically, the introduction of EMRs in primary care provide an opportunity for improving healthcare services and quality of care. Healthcare ICT has without a doubt transformed the dynamics of the medical encounter. Implications of EMRs on the physician-patient communication, and thus on healthcare quality have not yet reached a full understanding. The authors suggest a research model based on theoretical frameworks derived from the IS and medicine disciplines, describing factors affecting appropriate use of EMR, which will lead to physician and patient satisfaction.