The effects of physicians' affect-oriented communication style and raising expectations on analogue patients' anxiety, affect and expectancies

PATIENT EDUCATION AND COUNSELING

卷:80

Article

Verheul, William¹  Sanders, Ariette²  Bensing, Jozien^1,3 

[1] NIVEL Netherlands Inst Hlth Serv Res, NL-3500 BN Utrecht, Netherlands

[2] Univ Med Ctr Utrecht, Julius Ctr Hlth Sci & Primary Care, Utrecht, Netherlands

[3] Univ Utrecht, Fac Social & Behav Sci, NL-3508 TC Utrecht, Netherlands

关键词: Physician patient communication;    Placebo effect;    Affect;    Expectancy;    State anxiety;    Analogue patients;   

DOI  :  10.1016/j.pec.2010.06.017

来源: Elsevier

【 摘 要 】

Objective: Patients' affect and expectancies can set off placebo effects and thus impact patients' health. We assessed the relative effects of physicians' affect-oriented communication style and raising expectations on patients' affective state and outcome expectancies. Method: Thirty healthy women presented severe menstrual pain in a scripted consultation with a general practitioner (GP). In a 2 x 2 randomized controlled trial, the GP communicated in a warm, empathic or cold, formal way and raised positive or uncertain expectations. Effects on subjects' state anxiety, affective state and outcome expectancies were assessed. Results: Only warm, empathic communication combined with positive expectations led to a significant and relevant decrease in state anxiety. Subjects' positive and negative affects were influenced by GPs affect-oriented communication style. Negative affect and outcome expectancies are influenced by GP suggestions about outcomes. Conclusion: Manipulations in physicians' affect-oriented and expectancy-related communication can have a large impact on patients' affective state and outcome expectations. A combination of a warm, empathic communication style and raising positive expectations resulted in optimal subject outcomes. Practice implications: Physicians should take into account that communicating in warm, empathic way combined with raising positive expectations seems to lead to the most favorable effects on patients' state anxiety and outcome expectancies. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

【 授权许可】

Free