CHATTING BEHAVIOR AND PATIENT SATISFACTION
INTRODUCTION
There is increased interest in addressing potential sources of racial and ethnic disparities within the clinical encounter. Communication studies suggest that patient sociodemographic factors are embedded within care events and either directly or indirectly impact patient expectations and judgments; provider cognitions; and decision-making;and outcomes, such as patient satisfaction and quality of life. Time use during the clinical encounter is an important component of patient satisfaction and may be one way to appraise the communication dynamic between physician and patient. For example, the Direct Observation of Primary Care (DOPC) Study found that increased patient satisfaction was associated with older patient age, white race, better-perceived health status, well-care visits, and chatting time during the encounter. In a subsequent analysis of the DOPC dataset, physicians were found to spend a lower proportion of time with African-American patients in treatment planning, providing health education, answering questions, and chatting when compared to white patients. Chatting behavior can be viewed as the verbal communication of topics unrelated to the diagnosis, treatment, or management of a medical or healthcare condition. Physician chatting has been suggested as one way to enhance patient satisfaction; however, little is known about chatting within the context of the clinical encounter, or of the interaction of chatting with patient sociodemographic factors and patient satisfaction. In addition, the potential contribution of physician chatting as a patient-centered communication behavior, such as data gathering, relationship building, partnering, and counseling, remains unclear.
The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the relationship of chatting behavior and patient satisfaction with their physician. Our specific aims were: 1) to determine the prevalence and patterns of chatting behavior during an outpatient visit in an urban family practice, 2) to examine the association of specific chatting content areas with patient sociodemographic factors, and 3) patient satisfaction with their physician. canadian pharmacy viagra
