How do national cultures influence lay people’s preferences toward doctors’ style of communication? A comparison of 35 focus groups from an European cross national research

BMC Public Health

Research Article

Myriam Deveugele¹  Michela Rimondini²  Maria Angela Mazzi²  Jozien M. Bensing³ 

[1] Department of General Practice and Primary Health Care, Ghent University, De Pintelaan 185 6K3, 9000, Gent, Belgium;Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Verona, P.le LA Scuro 10-, 37100, Verona, Italy;Policlinico G.B.Rossi, UO Psicosomatica e Psicologia Clinica, P.le LA Scuro 10-, 37100, Verona, Italy;Section of Clinical Psychology, Department of Neurological,Biomedical and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, 37100, Verona, Italy;NIVEL (Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research), Utrecht University, Otterstraat 118-124, 3513, Utrecht, CR, The Netherlands;Faculty of Social Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands;

关键词: National culture;    Cross-cultural patient perspective;    Communication skills;    Doctor-patient relationship;    Focus groups;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12889-015-2559-7

 received in 2015-02-20, accepted in 2015-12-02,  发布年份 2015

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThe evidence that inspires and fosters communication skills, teaching programmes and clinical recommendations are often based on national studies which assume, implicitly, that patients’ preferences towards doctors’ communication style are not significantly affected by their cultural background. The cross-cultural validity of national results has been recognized as a potential limitation on how generally applicable they are in a wider context. Using 35 country-specific focus group discussions from four European countries, the aim of the present study is to test whether or not national cultures influence lay people’s preferences towards doctors’ style of communication.MethodsLay people preferences on doctor’s communication style have been collected in Belgium, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Italy. Each centre organized between eight and nine focus groups, where participants (n = 259) were asked to comment on a video of a simulated medical interview. The discussions were audiotaped, transcribed and coded using a common framework (Guliver Coding System) that allowed for the identification of different themes.ResultsThe frequency distribution of the topics discussed highlights lay people’s generally positive views towards most part of doctors interventions. The regression model applied to the Guliver categories highlighted slight national differences and the existence of a cross-cultural appreciation, in particular, of five types of intervention: Doctors attitudes (both Task-Oriented and Affective/Emotional), Summarizing, Structuring and Providing solution.ConclusionLay panels valued doctors’ communication style in a similar manner in the countries selected. This highlights the existence of a common background, which in the process of internationalization of heath care, might foster the implementation of cross-national teaching programmes and clinical guidelines.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Rimondini et al. 2015