TY - JOUR
T1 - How doctors move from generic goals to specific communicative behavior in real practice consultations
AU - Veldhuijzen, Wemke
AU - Mogendorff, Karen
AU - Ram, Paul
AU - van der Weijden, Trudy
AU - Elwyn, Glyn
AU - van der Vleuten, Cees
PY - 2013/2
Y1 - 2013/2
N2 - Objective: To understand how recommendations for communication can be brought into alignment with clinical communication routines, we explored how doctors select communicative actions during consultations. Methods: We conducted stimulated recall interviews with 15 GPs (general practitioners), asking them to comment on recordings of two consultations. The data analysis was based on the principles of grounded theory. Results: A model describing how doctors select communicative actions during consultations was developed. This model illustrates how GPs constantly adapt their selection of communicative actions to their evaluation of the situation. These evaluations culminate in the selection of situation-specific goals. These multiple and often dynamic goals require constant revision and adaptation of communication strategies, leading to constant readjustments of the selection of communicative actions. When selecting consultation goals GPs weigh patients' needs and preferences as well as the medical situation and its consequences. Conclusions: GPs' selection of communicative actions during consultations is situational and goal driven. Practice implications: To help doctors develop communicative competence tailored to the specific situation of each consultation, holistic communication training courses, which pay attention to the selection of consultation goals and matching communication strategies besides training specific communication skills, seem preferable to current generic communication skills training.
AB - Objective: To understand how recommendations for communication can be brought into alignment with clinical communication routines, we explored how doctors select communicative actions during consultations. Methods: We conducted stimulated recall interviews with 15 GPs (general practitioners), asking them to comment on recordings of two consultations. The data analysis was based on the principles of grounded theory. Results: A model describing how doctors select communicative actions during consultations was developed. This model illustrates how GPs constantly adapt their selection of communicative actions to their evaluation of the situation. These evaluations culminate in the selection of situation-specific goals. These multiple and often dynamic goals require constant revision and adaptation of communication strategies, leading to constant readjustments of the selection of communicative actions. When selecting consultation goals GPs weigh patients' needs and preferences as well as the medical situation and its consequences. Conclusions: GPs' selection of communicative actions during consultations is situational and goal driven. Practice implications: To help doctors develop communicative competence tailored to the specific situation of each consultation, holistic communication training courses, which pay attention to the selection of consultation goals and matching communication strategies besides training specific communication skills, seem preferable to current generic communication skills training.
KW - General practice
KW - Medical education
KW - Post-graduate education
KW - Qualitative research
KW - Context of communication
U2 - 10.1016/j.pec.2012.10.005
DO - 10.1016/j.pec.2012.10.005
M3 - Article
SN - 0738-3991
VL - 90
SP - 170
EP - 176
JO - Patient Education and Counseling
JF - Patient Education and Counseling
IS - 2
ER -