Physician-patient communication: a lost art?

The Effect of Adverse Events on Orthopaedic Surgeons: A Review

The purpose of this review was to evaluate the effect of adverse events (AEs) on orthopaedic surgeons, illustrate common ways orthopaedic surgeons deal with AEs, and describe solutions to reduce the negative effect of AEs and prevent them from recurring. AEs are common in orthopaedic surgery and increase the risk of depression, anxiety, and suicide. Orthopaedic surgeons may experience negative effects after AEs even when they are not at fault. AEs are linked to moral injury, second victim syndrome, burnout, and disruptive physician behaviors. Many surgeons deal with AEs in isolation out of fear of a negative effect on their professional reputation, potentially leading to increased psychological distress and unhealthy coping mechanisms. Healthy ways to address AEs and improve the well-being of surgeons include destigmatizing psychological stress after AEs and creating a culture of receptivity and peer support.

How well can the clinician appraise the patient's perception of the severity and impact of their back problem?

PURPOSE

A main concern of patients with back problems is pain and its impact on function and quality of life. These are subjective phenomena, and should be probed during the clinical consultation so that the physician can ascertain the extent of the problem. This study evaluated the agreement between clinicians' and patients' independent ratings of patient status on the Core Outcome Measures Index (COMI).

METHODS

This was an analysis of the data from 5 spine specialists and 108 patients, in two centres. Prior to the consultation, the patient completed the COMI. After the consultation, the clinician (blind to the patient's version) also completed a COMI. Concordance was assessed by % agreement, Kappa values, Bland-Altman plots, Spearman rank, Intraclass Correlation Coefficients and comparisons of mean values, as appropriate.

RESULTS

Agreement regarding the "main problem" (back pain, leg/buttock pain, sensory disturbances, other) was 83%, Kappa = 0.70 (95%CI 0.58-0.81). Moderate/strong correlations were found between the doctors' and patients' COMI-item ratings (0.48-0.74; p < 0.0001), although compared with the patients' ratings the doctors systematically underestimated absolute values for leg pain (p = 0.002) and dissatisfaction with symptom state (p = 0.002), and overestimated how much the patient's function was impaired (p = 0.029).

CONCLUSION

The doctors were able to ascertain the location of the main problem and the multidimensional outcome score with good accuracy, but some individual domains were systematically underestimated (pain, symptom-specific well-being) or overestimated (impairment of function). More detailed/direct questioning on these domains during the consultation might deliver a better appreciation of the impact of the back problem on the patient's daily life.

Orthopaedic trauma patient non-adherence to follow-up visits at a level 1 trauma center serving an urban and rural population

OBJECTIVE

To assess key demographic and psychosocial variables that may be associated with non-adherence to clinic visits following orthopaedic trauma injuries to patients in an urban and rural population.

METHODS

This retrospective review included all operative and non-operative patients presenting to a Level I academic trauma center serving an urban and rural population in the Midwest following an orthopaedic injury. The study tracked patient attendance to scheduled orthopaedic trauma follow-up clinic visits after a scheduled visit in the clinic following a trauma-related injury.

RESULTS

Data were obtained for 5816 unique orthopaedic trauma patients who had 21,066 post-treatment follow-up visits scheduled. 1627 "no-show" appointments were recorded. Factors associated with no-shows included male sex, age between 26 and 35 years, self-reported race other than white, employment listed as disabled, household income below $25,000, education less than a high school level, uninsured, Medicaid insured, and relationship status reported as single.

CONCLUSIONS

In the present study, key demographic and psychosocial factors were significantly associated with patient adherence to scheduled follow-up appointments after treatment for orthopaedic trauma. Identifying patients at higher risk for nonadherence will allow healthcare teams to educate patients, providers, and staff, link patients to resources to enhance adherence, and work with their institutions to develop and implement protocols for improving adherence to follow-up appointments.

Patient and Surgeon Ratings of Patient Involvement in Decision-Making Are Not Aligned

BACKGROUND

Specialists want to guide patients toward making informed treatment choices consistent with what matters most to them (their values). One measure of this goal is alignment between patient and surgeon-perceived involvement in decision-making. We performed a cross-sectional survey of patients presenting for musculoskeletal specialty care to determine agreement between patients and surgeons regarding patient involvement in shared decision-making. We also tested (1) factors associated with specialist-perceived involvement, accounting for the patient's perceived involvement in decision-making, and (2) factors associated with patient perception of involvement in decision-making, accounting for ratings of preferred involvement.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional survey, 136 patients seeking musculoskeletal care for conditions involving the upper or lower extremities rated their preferred level of involvement in decision-making (Control Preferences Scale) before the visit and their perceived level of involvement (Modified Control Preferences Scale) after the visit. Participants also completed measures of symptoms of depression and pain self-efficacy. After the visit, the surgeons rated their perception of the patient's involvement in decision-making (Modified Control Preferences Scale).

RESULTS

There was poor agreement between patients and surgeons regarding the extent of patient participation in decision-making (ICC = 0.11). The median difference was 1 point on a 5-point Likert scale (interquartile range: 0 to 1). Accounting for demographic characteristics and personal factors in multivariable analysis, specialists rated patients who did not have a high school diploma as having less involvement in decision-making. Specialist-perceived patient involvement in decision-making was not related to patient-perceived involvement. The only factor associated with higher patient-rated involvement was higher patient-preferred involvement (OR = 3.9; 95% CI = 2.6 to 5.8; p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

The observation that surgeons misperceive patient participation in decision-making emphasizes the need for strategies to ensure patient participation, such as methods to help patients gain awareness of what matters most to them (their values), clinician checklists for identification and reorientation of common misinterpretations of symptoms, and decision aids or motivational interviewing tools that can help to ensure that patient choices are consistent with their values and are unhindered by misconceptions.

Improving consultations for persistent musculoskeletal low back pain in orthopaedic spine settings: an intervention development

BACKGROUND

There is a need to improve consultations between patients with persistent musculoskeletal low back pain and orthopaedic spine clinicians when surgery is not indicated. Poor communication and lack of education about self- management in these consultations have been shown to be associated with increased distress and higher subsequent health care seeking.

AIM

To develop a standardised intervention to improve spine care consultations for patients for whom surgery is not beneficial.

METHOD

The intervention was developed in six stages. The first three stages included: interviews with patients, an interactive workshop with clinicians from a mix of disciplines, and interviews with spine clinicians about their perspective of the recommendations, their perceived difficulties and potential improvements. Information from these stages was synthesised by an expert panel, creating a draft intervention structure and content. The main features of the intervention and the materials developed were then reviewed by patients and spine clinicians. Finally, the research team incorporated the recommended amendments to produce the intervention.

RESULTS

In total, 36 patients and 79 clinicians contributed to the development of the intervention. The final intervention includes three components: a pre-consultation letter with information suggesting that surgery is one possible intervention amongst many, introducing the staff, and alerting patients to bring with them a potted history of interventions tried previously. The intervention includes short online training sessions to improve clinicians' communication skills, during the consultation, in reference to listening skills, validation of patients' pain, and use of appropriate language. Clinicians are also supplied with a list of evidence-based sources for advice and further information to share with patients. Finally, post consultation, a follow up letter includes a short summary of the patients' clinical journey, the results of their examination and tests, and a reminder of recommendations for self-management.

CONCLUSION

The intervention includes aspects around patient education and enhanced clinician skills. It was developed with input from a multitude of stakeholders and is based on patients' perceptions of what they would find reassuring and empowering when surgery is excluded. The intervention has the potential to improve the patients care journey and might lead to changes in practice in spine clinicians.

Evolving Expectations of the Orthopedic Team Physician: Managing the Sidelines and Landmines

ABSTRACT

The role of orthopedic team physicians has evolved greatly over the past decade having been influenced by advances in sports science and performance, new surgical and biologic technologies, social media, medicolegal liability, marketing, and sexual misconduct cases by some team physicians. The great variety of events and sports that are covered from high school and collegiate to the Olympic and professional levels requires a myriad of skills outside of the traditional medical training curriculum. In the current climate of increasing media scrutiny from a 24-h news cycle it is imperative for orthopedic team physicians, whether operative or nonoperative, to continually adapt to the needs and expectations of athletes who also are patients. This is especially true in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Orthopedic team physicians' responsibilities continue to evolve ensuring their relevance and necessity on the sidelines and in the training room as well as in the operative suite.

Taking patients to the ice cream shop but telling them that they cannot have ice cream: a qualitative study of orthopaedic spine clinicians' perceptions of persistent low back pain consultations

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to explore the perceptions of orthopaedic clinicians about consultations for people with persistent musculoskeletal low back pain (PMLBP) in which surgery is not recommended. Surgery is not recommended for the majority of PMLBP consulting in secondary care settings.

SETTING

Secondary care sector in the UK.

PARTICIPANTS

Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 24 orthopaedic team clinicians from 17 different hospitals in the UK and Ireland. Interviews explored clinicians' perceptions of the challenges in consultations where surgery is not indicated. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Two meta-themes, Difficulties and Enablers, each consisting of several subthemes were identified. Difficulties included challenges around the choice of appropriate terminology and labels for PMLBP, managing patients' expectations, working with mentally vulnerable patients and explaining imaging findings. Enablers included early management of expectations, use of routine imaging, triaging, access to direct referral elsewhere, including other non-surgical practitioners in the team, training to improve communication skills and understanding of psychological issues.

CONCLUSION

The findings highlight clinicians' perceived need for concordance in messages delivered across the care pathway and training of orthopaedic clinicians to deliver effective reassurance and address patients' needs in circumstances where surgery is not indicated.

An Analysis of Formal Patient Complaints and Malpractice Events Involving Hand and Upper Extremity Surgeons

INTRODUCTION

Our purpose was to define and categorize patient complaints within a hand surgery practice over a 10-year period. In addition, we aimed to define surgeon and patient factors associated with formal complaints.

METHODS

All patients who filed a complaint with our institution's patient advocacy service against six hand surgeons in an academic practice over a 10-year period were recorded and categorized using the Patient Complaint Analysis System. A control group consisting of all patients seen by the surgeons during the study period was created. Demographic differences between the complaint and control groups were analyzed, as were complaint rates between surgeons. We obtained the number of malpractice events involving each of the surgeons.

RESULTS

During the 10-year study period, 73 of 36,010 unique patients seen (0.20%) filed a complaint. Care and treatment category comprised the highest percentage of complaint designations (30%), followed by access and availability (23%). Forty-three patients (59%) who filed complaints were treated surgically. Patients with a complaint had a significantly higher percentage of mental, behavioral, or neurodevelopmental disorders compared with controls (55% versus 42%, P = 0.03). The complaint rate (total complaints/total new patients seen) ranged between 0.09% and 0.29% for the six surgeons, and these results were not statistically significant.

DISCUSSION

Within an academic hand and upper extremity surgery practice, the rate of patient complaints is 0.20% or approximately one complaint for every 500 new patients seen. Most patient complaints are categorized within the care and treatment domain. Underlying mental health conditions are associated with more frequent complaints. Communication issues appear to represent a modifiable area that hand surgeons can improve to help mitigate potential complaints. Understanding both the frequency and types of patient complaints may allow hand surgeons to recognize areas for improvement and avoid potential exposure to malpractice litigation.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Prognostic level III (case-control).

Learning the full impact of migraine through patient voices: A qualitative study

OBJECTIVE

To better characterize the ways that migraine affects multiple domains of life.

BACKGROUND

Further understanding of migraine burden is needed.

METHODS

Adults with migraine randomized to mindfulness-based stress reduction or headache education arms (n = 81) in two separate randomized clinical trials participated in semistructured in-person qualitative interviews conducted after the interventions. Interviews queried participants on migraine impact on life and were audio-recorded, transcribed, and summarized into a framework matrix. A master codebook was created until meaning saturation was reached and magnitude coding established code frequency. Themes and subthemes were identified using a constructivist grounded theory approach.

RESULTS

Despite most participants being treated with acute and/or prophylactic medications, 90% (73/81) reported migraine had a negative impact on overall life, with 68% (55/81) endorsing specific domains of life impacted and 52% (42/81) describing impact on emotional health. Six main themes of migraine impact emerged: (1) global negative impact on overall life; (2) impact on emotional health; (3) impact on cognitive function; (4) impact on specific domains of life (work/career, family, social); (5) fear and avoidance (pain catastrophizing and anticipatory anxiety); and (6) internalized and externalized stigma. Participants reported how migraine (a) controls life, (b) makes life difficult, and (c) causes disability during attacks, with participants (d) experiencing a lack of control and/or (e) attempting to push through despite migraine. Emotional health was affected through (a) isolation, (b) anxiety, (c) frustration/anger, (d) guilt, (e) mood changes/irritability, and (f) depression/hopelessness. Cognitive function was affected through concentration and communication difficulties.

CONCLUSIONS

Migraine has a global negative impact on overall life, cognitive and emotional health, work, family, and social life. Migraine contributes to isolation, frustration, guilt, fear, avoidance behavior, and stigma. A greater understanding of the deep burden of this chronic neurological disease is needed to effectively target and treat what is most important to those living with migraine.

'Reassurance and healthcare seeking in people with persistent musculoskeletal low back pain consulting orthopaedic spine practitioners: A prospective cohort study'

BACKGROUND

Guidelines recommend self-management for most people living with persistent musculoskeletal low back pain (PMLBP) when surgery is ruled out. Conveying this message to patients can be challenging. This study examined patients' perceptions of reassuring communications from surgical spine team practitioners attempting to deliver this message in a single consultation.

METHODS

Pre-consultation baseline measures included levels of pain, disability and previous consultation history. Patients' perceptions of reassuring communications were measured within 1-week post-consultation. The outcome variables, measured at 3-month follow-up, included patients' report of subsequent GP visits for back pain, the number of other healthcare providers consulted for back pain and distress.

RESULTS

Data from 296 patients (9.8% loss to follow-up) were analysed using hierarchical regression models, controlling for demographic, clinical and study-related factors. In each model, perceived reassurance accounted for a small but significant variance, above and beyond other predictors. Further GP visits were predicted by disability at baseline and perceived reassurance (adjusted R² of 14.6%). Subsequent consultations with any healthcare professionals were predicted by a shorter duration of back pain, disability at baseline and perceived reassurance (adj. R²  = 10.6%). Distress was predicted by older age, disability and reassurance (adj. R²  = 59.5%).

CONCLUSION

Findings suggest that better communication in consultations with orthopaedic spine clinicians might help reduce unnecessary subsequent healthcare utilization and distress.

SIGNIFICANCE

Low back pain patients' perceptions of their communication with orthopaedic spine practitioners are associated with subsequent healthcare seeking and distress at follow-up. This study examines the intersection of two important but fairly neglected areas in the pain research: provider communication and patient healthcare utilization.

Translation and cultural adaptation of a romanian version of the communication assessment tool (CAT_Ro)

BACKGROUND

The communication between health providers and patients influences the quality of medical care. The Communication Skills Assessment (CAT) is a reliable, validated tool, which was developed to assess interpersonal communication skills between physicians and patients. The purpose of this study was to obtain a Romanian version of the CAT (CAT_Ro), using a controlled and systematic process to translate and cross-culturally adapt the original questionnaire, since there are no validated instruments to assess healthcare professionals' communication capability in Romania.

METHODS

The study was conducted in two Departments of Internal Medicine and Rheumatology from Bucharest, Romania, using a rigorous scientific methodology for the translation process, according to literature recommendations, implicating conceptual evaluation, semantics, and cultural adaptation, which involved several steps. The updated version was pre-tested in a pilot study, which included 89 outpatients.

RESULTS

The results showed a narrow range of variability in item interpretation, without differences in patients' responses according to variables such as age, gender, education, disease type, number of previous visits with the same doctor.

CONCLUSION

CAT-Ro is the result of a comprehensive process study. It represents the first translation and cultural adaptation in Romanian of an instrument able to assess the health providers' communication skills, which was validated in a pilot study and is to be used in more extensive studies with patients from several specialties.

The patient generated index and decision regret in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis

HYPOTHESIS

AIS patients and their parents will have distinct perspectives regarding the impact of AIS on patients' lives.

INTRODUCTION

Current outcome assessment tools for AIS do not fully assess patient-specific disease impact and fail to distinguish between patient and parent perspectives. Patient Generated Index (PGI) has been used in other disease states to assess individual experiences. This study assesses PGI in operative AIS patients and their parents.

DESIGN

Level 1, prospective multi-center study.

METHODS

44 AIS patient and parent pairs completed the PGI questionnaire comprised of three stages (S1, S2, S3) and decision regret (DR). S1 asks for five areas of the patient's life most affected by AIS and a 6th encompassing all other areas of their lives affected, S2 focuses on the magnitude of effect, S3 identifies desire to improve affected areas and DR if the surgery did not improve the specific area. S1 free responses were organized into 14 domains. Descriptive statistics were reported for stage scores; free-response format of PGI and DR limited ability for paired sample t test analysis.

RESULTS

Mean age at surgery was 14.3 years, 84% female, and mean major curve magnitude was 61°. The three most common patient-reported concerns prior to surgery were (in descending order): sports, general function, and general fitness. However, the three most common parent-reported concerns were (in descending order): general function, sports, and appearance. Patients reported self-esteem and parents reported physical appearance as the most affected domain (S2). Patients reported pain and self-esteem and parents reported sleep and self-esteem as main operative aspirations (S3). Decision regret was the highest for uncertainty of future health in patients and sleep in parents.

CONCLUSION

AIS patients and their parents reported different concerns and DR regarding surgical treatment. PGI provides insight into patient and parent views toward the disease as well as treatment aspirations.

Are We Involving Patients in Shared Decision-Making in Young Adult Hip Surgery? A Systematic Review of Patient Engagement Initiatives in Hip Preservation

There are limited published studies on patient engagement, including shared decision-making, in adolescents and young adults with complex congenital or post-traumatic hip disorders. Despite the limited number of papers, we aim to clearly summarize what is currently available in the literature using a systematic review approach. We hope this serves as a call to action and catalyst for more work in this field. Future research must focus on awareness of what matters most to patients (values), and the development, implementation, and barriers to the use of decision aids and patient engagement optimization specific to hip disease in young adults.

Experienced barriers in shared decision-making behaviour of orthopaedic surgery residents compared with orthopaedic surgeons

INTRODUCTION

In shared decision-making (SDM), physicians encourage the patient to participate in the care process. The theory of planned behaviour describes that behaviour is dependent on intention. In its turn, intention is explained by attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioural control. In orthopaedics, little is known about current SDM behaviour and how to promote it.The aim of the present study was to gain insight into the SDM behaviour of orthopaedic residents and supervisors by measuring levels of intention, attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control. Furthermore, we aimed to determine the predictors of intention for SDM.

METHODS

A questionnaire survey study was conducted among orthopaedic surgeons and residents working in the care of hip and knee osteoarthritis, to determine their intentions, attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control regarding SDM.

RESULTS

Of the 385 physicians approached, 71 residents and 64 orthopaedic surgeons participated. Residents and the supervisors alike had positive intentions regarding SDM. Intention for SDM behaviour was explained by attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioural control, with perceived behavioural control having the strongest association. In residents, the intention to engage in SDM was more hampered by a lower level of perceived behavioural control than in surgeons.

CONCLUSIONS

Physicians are willing to perform SDM and consider SDM as favourable in the orthopaedic clinic. The implementation of SDM is mainly hampered by experienced barriers that they cannot control. These findings underline the importance of incorporating SDM in the curriculum of postgraduates. Possibilities for efficient SDM implementation should be explored, to overcome perceived barriers.

Current concepts of shared decision making in orthopedic surgery

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The Shared Decision Making (SDM) model, a collaborative decision making process between the physician and patient to make an informed clinical decision that enhances the chance of treatment success as defined by each patient's preferences and values, has become a new and promising tool in the healthcare process; however, minimal data exists on its application in the orthopedic surgical specialty. Increasing evidence has demonstrated that this once novel idea can be implemented successfully in the orthopedic setting to improve patient outcomes.

RECENT FINDINGS

SDM can be applied without significant increases in the office length. Patients report that a physician that takes the time to listen to them is among the most important factors in their care. When time was focused on the SDM process, there was a direct correlation between the time spent with a patient and patient satisfaction. Patients exposed to a decision aid prior to surgery gained a greater knowledge from baseline to make a higher quality decision that was consistent with their values. Involving family members preoperatively can help all patients adhere to postoperative regimens. Exposing patients to a decision aid can reduce expensive elective surgeries, in favor of non-operative management. Incorporating patient goals into the decision-making process has increased satisfaction, compliance, and outcomes. SDM is a two-way exchange of information that attempts to correct the inequality of power between the patient and physician. Decision-aids are helpful tools that facilitate the decision-making process. Treatment decisions are consistent with patient preferences and values when there may be no "best" therapy. A good patient-physician relationship is essential during the process to reduce decisional conflict and increase overall patient outcomes.

A Novel Approach to Improving Patient Experience in Orthopedics

The patient experience domain comprises a significant portion of the Hospital Value-Based Purchasing program. This study investigated whether an intervention focusing on attending physician awareness, resident and physician assistant education, and multidisciplinary patient-centric care had an effect on patient perceived physician communication and overall hospital ratings. Responses to the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey were reviewed in 2014 and 2015. Patients' perceptions that the physician explained their condition in ways they understood and the overall hospital rating improved significantly after implantation of the model ( P < .05). Patient-physician communication is important for high-quality health care and is becoming increasingly more important in hospital economics. These methods may serve as a protocol for other institutions to improve the patient experience.

High Rates of Interest in Sex in Patients With Hip Arthritis

BACKGROUND

Being sexually active has been associated with a high quality of life. Unfortunately, the topic of sexual limitations in patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA) has not been well studied.

QUESTION/PURPOSES

(1) What proportion of patients experience sexual limitations because of hip arthritis before THA; (2) whether patient reports of sexual limitations would be associated with poorer results on general health and hip-specific instruments; and (3) whether patient reports of sexual limitations would be associated with poorer preoperative range of motion.

METHODS

Between May 19, 2003, and August 17, 2009, 403 patients (423 hips) underwent primary THA; of those, 237 patients/hips (59% [237 of 403]) had addressed the new patient questionnaire within 1 year before surgery and had it available for review; and of those, 192 (48% [192 of 403]) had answered the question about sexual function on their questionnaire. This group included 159 patients who were sexually active (82% [159 of 192]). These patients were defined as our study cohort. Among them, 131 patients (82% [131 of 159]) reported some degree of sexual limitations and 28 patients (18% [28 of 159]) did not report limitations. Patient characteristics evaluated included baseline demographics, body mass index, American Society of Anesthesiologists, Charlson in addition to preoperative/postoperative pain intensity/frequency (visual analog scale, 0-10), SF-36, WOMAC, and baseline hip range of motion measures. Outcomes of interest were compared between both groups. Mean age was 65 years. Chi-square, t-tests, and multivariate analysis of variance were used. Alpha was set at 0.05.

RESULTS

Hip arthritis interfered with the sexual life of 82% (131 of 159) of sexually active patients, more so in women than men (96% [68 of 71], versus 72% [63 of 88]; odds ratio, 8.99; 95% confidence interval, 2.588-31.258; p = 0.001). Preoperatively, patients with sexual limitations had a mean pain intensity of 8 ± 1.84 points on the visual analog scale, whereas patients without limitations had 6 ± 1.99 points (p < 0.001). Differences were also found in WOMAC pain (11 ± 3.9 versus 8 ± 3.5; p = 0.004) and WOMAC stiffness (3.4 ± 2.3 versus 1.4 ± 1.7; p = 0.001). Baseline hip flexion (84° ± 22.4° versus 93° ± 16.5°, respectively; p = 0.04) and external rotation (23° ± 14.5° versus 30° ± 11.6°; p = 0.02) were also different.

CONCLUSIONS

Our data suggest that many patients getting a hip arthroplasty are sexually active but most patients who are sexually active have sexual limitations before surgery as a result of hip arthritis. Women are more affected than men. Patients with these limitations experience more pain and have less flexion and external rotation before surgery. Preoperatively, counseling on sexual activities should be routinely discussed with all patients undergoing THA.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level III, prognostic study.

Improving communication between the physician and the COPD patient: an evaluation of the utility of the COPD Assessment Test in primary care

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. It is now considered a systemic inflammatory syndrome and is associated with important comorbidities. In addition to spirometry for evaluating the severity of airflow obstruction, an instrument is required for comprehensive assessment of the disease. The COPD Assessment Test (CAT) is a simple and valid tool for evaluating patient symptoms. The CAT can improve patient–physician communication during routine clinical visits and is useful for assessing functional status and response to treatment. The CAT has a strong correlation with other health status questionnaires, such as the St George’s Respiratory Questionnaire. The main advantages of the CAT are its thorough coverage of the important clinical aspects of disease burden and the shorter time involved in completing it. The aim of this paper is to review the role of the CAT, to compare it with other health-related quality of life questionnaires in the assessment and management of COPD patients, and to emphasize the importance of patient–physician communication in the management of patients with the disease.

Would your patient prefer to be considered your friend? Patient preferences in physician relationships

OBJECTIVES

To understand how patient preferences and perceptions of their relationship with their doctor (as patient, friend, partner, client, consumer, or insured) affects confidence in care provided and participation in health care.

METHODS

Telephone questionnaire to 2,135 households, representative of the population in Israel.

RESULTS

A total of 508 completed the questionnaire. Most described perceived and desired relationships with their doctor as patient or friend. Individuals were least satisfied with business-type relationships implied by client, consumer, or insured. Preference in relationship type was not associated with participation in health care. Those with a patient, friend, or partner relationship were twice as confident in their care as those with a business-type relationship.

CONCLUSIONS

Preferences for the terms patient and friend over business terms highlight the importance of the human connection in the patient-physician relationship. Although one might consider patient a paternalistic term, those with a patient, partner, or friend-type versus a business-type relationship had much greater confidence in their care and were no less likely to be active participants in their own health care.

Patient-centered care in medicine and surgery: guidelines for achieving patient-centered subspecialty care

Patient-centered care is based on the principle that equality between physician and patient is mutually advantageous. This model of care recently has largely supplanted the historical paternalistic model of the physician-patient relationship. Patient-centered care differs from the disease-centered model of evidence-based medicine, but the two are not mutually exclusive. Patient-centered care has 5 core components: the biopsychosocial perspective, the patient as person, sharing power and responsibility, the therapeutic alliance, and the doctor as person. This article explores these components, explains the differences between patient-centered care and evidence-based medicine, and offers guidelines for achieving patient-centered subspecialty care in hand surgery.

Comparative cross-sectional study of empathy among first year and final year medical students in Jimma University, Ethiopia: steady state of the heart and opening of the eyes

BACKGROUND

There is general consent that empathy is crucial for the physician-patient relationship and thus an important issue in medical education. This comparative study was designed to examine the differences in empathy between first year and final year medical students in Jimma University, Ethiopia.

METHODS

A comparative cross-sectional study among 131 first year and 106 final year medical students was conducted in Jimma University, Ethiopia on academic year 2010/11. The study subjects were selected using simple random sampling technique from the list of the students. Study participation was voluntary. The Balanced Emotional Empathy Scale (BEES) was used for the detection of "heart-reading", i.e. emotional empathy and the Reading the Mind in the Eyes test (RME-R test) to evaluate "mind-reading", i.e. cognitive empathy. We performed t-test to compare the mean difference in empathy and RME-R scores between the two groups of students. A linear regression was computed to identify potential factors influencing the BEES and RME-R.

RESULTS

Out of the total 237 students, 207 (87.3%) were males. The mean age of first year and final year students was 19.3 ± 1.1 and 24.0 ± 1.4 years respectively. First year students have scored 40.6 ± 23.8 while final year students scored 41.5 ± 20.8 mean in the BEES measuring emotional empathy score. However, this difference was not statistically significant (t = -0.30, df = 231, P-value >0.05). Final year students had significantly higher mean cognitive empathy score (17.8 ± 4.5) than first year students (14.4 ± 4.8) [β = 2.7, 95%CI (1.20, 4.13)]. Males had scored lower cognitive [β = -2.5, 95%CI (-4.37, -0.66)] and emotional empathy [β = -12.0, 95%CI (-21.66, -5.46)].

CONCLUSIONS

Low emotional (BEES) and cognitive empathy sores were found in first year and final year students of Jimma University could have implications on the medical education curricula. Medical education targeted at enhancing emotional empathy and increasing cognitive empathy is required by segmenting with gender for effective physician-patient interaction. The influence of empathy on clinical competence should be studied using more rigorous design.

Patients' attitudes and factors in their selection of grafts for anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction

Surgeon recommendation is the primary influence for patients choosing a graft for their ACL reconstruction. However, it is unknown if demographic factors also play a role. We hypothesize that education, age, and living in an urban setting may influence a patient's graft choice. Patients who had an ACL reconstruction from 2005 to 2009 were identified retrospectively, and received a written survey on their demographics and the factors affecting graft choice. They also rated their perception of those factors based on a Likert scale. Out of 471 surveys distributed, 151 responses were received. The mean follow-up time was 19 months (range, 1 to 63 months). Autograft was used in 57%. Surgeon recommendation was the primary factor in graft choice (63%). 87.4% of patients felt they made the right choice; only 4.6% would have picked a different graft if they could choose over again. More than half (51.7%) of patients did significant personal research, and used mostly medical websites (41.1%). 67.6% of patients were not adverse to allograft. The primary factor for patients in graft choice was surgeon recommendation. Still, the use of medical websites was widespread, and patients in an urban environment were less likely to rely solely on their surgeon's recommendation. Older patients were more concerned with autograft donor site morbidity, and patients with a higher level of education were less averse to allograft.

Conversations on psoriasis--what patients want and what physicians can provide: a qualitative look at patient and physician expectations

BACKGROUND

The role of the patient-physician relationship is a key issue in the management of lifelong, chronic conditions such as psoriasis, with each side bringing different perspectives.

OBJECTIVE

To explore areas of congruence and disconnection in the relationship between psoriasis patients and dermatologists, with a focus on communication issues.

METHODS

Three discussion group sessions were held in four centers across the United States with dermatologists, patients, and a follow-up of the dermatologists after watching the patient discussion.

RESULTS

Patients want more information on psoriasis, fast treatments, clear expectations from the onset of therapy, and recognition of the emotional burden. Dermatologists found that patients do not receive or internalize adequate information and need further explanation of treatment regimens to increase compliance and patient satisfaction.

LIMITATIONS

This was a qualitative study assessing the range of responses and was not a quantitative study designed to test specific hypotheses. The study may not be informative about the experiences of people with psoriasis not actively seeing a physician.

CONCLUSIONS

Encounters between physicians and psoriasis patients can be enhanced by providing information on what psoriasis is, choosing fast-acting treatments that patients are willing to use, and providing written materials about the disease and treatment plan.

Undesired variance due to examiner stringency/leniency effect in communication skill scores assessed in OSCEs

Physician-patient communication is a clinical skill that can be learned and has a positive impact on patient satisfaction and health outcomes. A concerted effort at all medical schools is now directed at teaching and evaluating this core skill. Student communication skills are often assessed by an Objective Structure Clinical Examination (OSCE). However, it is unknown what sources of error variance are introduced into examinee communication scores by various OSCE components. This study primarily examined the effect different examiners had on the evaluation of students' communication skills assessed at the end of a family medicine clerkship rotation. The communication performance of clinical clerks from Classes 2005 and 2006 were assessed using six OSCE stations. Performance was rated at each station using the 28-item Calgary-Cambridge guide. Item Response Theory analysis using a Multifaceted Rasch model was used to partition the various sources of error variance and generate a "true" communication score where the effects of examiner, case, and items are removed. Variance and reliability of scores were as follows: communication scores (.20 and .87), examiner stringency/leniency (.86 and .91), case (.03 and .96), and item (.86 and .99), respectively. All facet scores were reliable (.87-.99). Examiner variance (.86) was more than four times the examinee variance (.20). About 11% of the clerks' outcome status shifted using "true" rather than observed/raw scores. There was large variability in examinee scores due to variation in examiner stringency/leniency behaviors that may impact pass-fail decisions. Exploring the benefits of examiner training and employing "true" scores generated using Item Response Theory analyses prior to making pass/fail decisions are recommended.

In-office discussions of migraine: results from the American Migraine Communication Study

BACKGROUND

Research indicates that successful migraine assessment and treatment depends on information obtained during patient and healthcare professional (HCP) discussions. However, no studies outline how migraine is actually discussed during clinical encounters.

OBJECTIVE

Record naturally occurring HCP-migraineur interactions, analyzing frequency and impairment assessment, and preventive treatment discussions.

DESIGN

HCPs seeing high volumes of migraineurs were recruited for a communication study. Patients likely to discuss migraine were recruited immediately before their normally scheduled appointment and, once consented, were audio- and video-recorded without a researcher present. Separate post-visit interviews were conducted with patients and HCPs. All interactions were transcribed.

PARTICIPANTS

Sixty patients (83% female; mean age 41.7) were analyzed. Patients were diagnosed with migraine 14 years and experienced 5 per month, on average.

APPROACH

Transcripts were analyzed using sociolinguistic techniques such as number and type of questions asked and post-visit alignment on migraine frequency and impairment. American Migraine Prevalence and Prevention Study guidelines were utilized.

RESULTS

Ninety-one percent of HCP-initiated, migraine-specific questions were closed-ended/short answer; assessments focused on frequency and did not focus on attention on impairment. Open-ended questions in patient post-visit interviews yielded robust impairment-related information. Post-visit, 55% of HCP-patient pairs were misaligned regarding frequency; 51% on impairment. Of the 20 (33%) patients who were preventive medication candidates, 80% did not receive it and 50% of their visits lacked discussion of prevention.

CONCLUSIONS

Sociolinguistic analysis revealed that HCPs often used narrowly focused, closed-ended questions and were often unaware of how migraine affected patients' lives as a result. It is recommended that HCPs assess impairment using open-ended questions in combination with the ask-tell-ask technique.

Improving in-office discussion of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: results and recommendations from an in-office linguistic study in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Effective management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) requires successful physician-patient communication. Unfortunately, however, both parties often report problematic communication. Accommodating patients' desire for more information and an increased role in decision-making can increase their satisfaction surrounding the dialogue. This study analyzed naturally occurring interactions to assess in-office COPD discussions, identifying best practices and gaps in communication. In-office discussions of a study population of 17 community-based physicians and 32 outpatients with COPD (59% women; mean age, 69.5 years) were recorded during regularly scheduled visits. Individual postvisit interviews were conducted to clarify health history and perceptions of the office visit. Recordings were transcribed and analyzed using validated sociolinguistic techniques. Physicians initiated discussions of COPD with the term "breathing" in 56% of visits; these discussions focused on the acute nature of the disease, including an average of 6.4 physician-initiated, symptom-related questions. In postvisit interviews, participants (patients versus physicians) were frequently misaligned about the severity of, as well as the patient's level of concern about, the disease. Quality-of-life discussions were largely absent from visits, although patients offered emotionally charged responses postvisit about the impact of COPD in their lives. Despite accepted guidelines, discussions on smoking cessation, spirometry, and inhaler technique were underused. To reduce observed gaps in communication, physicians can focus on 4 topic areas: (1) communicating COPD diagnosis and test results, (2) optimizing disease education, (3) prioritizing smoking cessation, and (4) demonstrating correct inhaler use. Simple communication techniques, including consistent vocabulary, perspective display series, the 5 As of smoking cessation (ask about tobacco use, advise to quit, assess willingness to make a quit attempt, assist in quit attempt, arrange follow-up), and inhaler training, can maximize in-office efficiency. Combining these topic areas and communication techniques could result in higher levels of physician and patient satisfaction.

Health state information derived from secondary databases is affected by multiple sources of bias

OBJECTIVE

Secondary databases are used in descriptive studies of patient subgroups; evaluation of associations between individual characteristics and diagnosis, prognosis, and/or service utilization rates; and studies of the quality of health care delivered. This article identifies sources of bias for health state characteristics stored in secondary databases that arise from patients' encounters with health systems, highlighting sources of bias that arise from organizational and environmental factors.

STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING

Potential sources of bias, from patient access of services and diagnosis, through encoding and filing of patient information in secondary databases, are discussed. A patient presenting with acute myocardial infarction is used as an illustrative example.

RESULTS

The accuracy of health state characteristics derived from secondary databases is a function of both the quality and quantity of information collected before data entry and is dependent on complex interactions between patients, clinicians, and the structures and systems surrounding them.

CONCLUSION

The use of health state information included in secondary databases requires that estimates of potential bias from all sources be included in the analysis and presentation of results. By making this common practice in the field, greater value can be achieved from secondary database analyses.

Recall of the risks of forefoot surgery after informed consent

PURPOSE

To determine the number of risks a patient can recall from the informed consent process prior to surgery and if recall can be improved with a visual aid and to assess patient satisfaction with the informed consent process utilized.

METHODS

Randomly selected patients, from all patients requiring forefoot surgery, were randomly assigned into two groups from August 2001 through October 2001. All patients were asked to recall the risks of surgery and to rate their satisfaction with the informed consent process at their final routine postoperative visit.

RESULTS

There were 19 patients in each group. All patients uniformly expressed their satisfaction with the preoperative informed consent discussion at their final visit. The mean number of the 11 risks recalled per patient was 1.0 for group A (range, 0-3) and 0.94 for group B (range, 0-4).

CONCLUSION

At the final routine postoperative visit, patients in both groups had poor or no recall of the risks of surgery. The visual aid had no effect on improving recall.

Challenges of current geriatric education-inspired by the Nordic geriatric professors' meetings

Geriatric educators are faced with several different challenges. The rapid growth of aged population in the Western world has led to a growing need for health and social services and thus, an increased need for trained professionals in this field. In addition, new learning theories and activating learning methods have achieved wide acceptance in academic medicine. How has geriatric education applied these new learning methods? In this article we review the current status of academic geriatric education in Western countries in these respects. We especially review the literature of how geriatric training has been experimenting with the new learning methods.