Describes a skills-oriented training program for a step-by-step patient-centered interviewing method. This method fosters positive attitudes towards patient-centered interviewing and uses a learner-controlled approach that pays special attention to the teacher-resident relationship and to the resident's self-awareness. This training can be adapted…

Printed educational material on cholesterol, food, and health-related lifestyle changes used in primary care in Sweden are evaluated. Materials (211 different products) are analyzed from two theoretically grounded perspectives: orientation of knowledge and rhetoric. Findings are related to patients' ability to make use of the material. (Author/EMK)

Patient-centered strategies derived from the stages of change model, and motivational interviewing are used to develop a structured, teachable, and acceptable intervention for clinicians to help patients consider their smoking during general medical consultations. The method is described. Results for the model, tested on 270 smokers, are…

Hypertensive patients (N=21) were interviewed regarding their views and experience of information and communication with respect to antihypertensive medicines. Patients' attitudes toward hypertension and antihypertensive drugs, communication with pharmacist and physician, perceptions of drug information, and the information environment are…

The development of a videotape for patients considering treatment options for clinically localized prostate cancer is described. The effectiveness of videotape in improving short-term recall of treatment options and outcomes was assessed quantitatively; qualitative analysis was used to assess the likelihood of patient's active participation in the…

The role of primary care physicians in coronary heart disease prevention is explored, and a model for patient education by physicians is offered. A qualitative study in Nova Scotia examines physicians' expectations about their role in prevention, obstacles to providing preventive care, and mechanisms by which preventive care occurs. (Author/EMK)

The use of a patient information video to aid patients in their decision whether to participate in a randomized perinatal trial was evaluated. Patients' knowledge of the controlled trial, feelings about its worth, and willingness for future participation were assessed. Results suggest that a video and an information sheet may result in greater…

Concrete, objective information that describes the experience from the patient's point of view in unambiguous terms is effective in reducing negative emotional response during threatening health care procedures. A four-stage process that permits systematic development of comprehensive and accurate messages using concrete objective information is…

Presents a lecture delivered in July 1999 at a meeting on Communication in Medicine, underscoring the increasing importance of educating to ensure effective communication between health care providers and their patients. Among the factors cited are the decreasing amount of time available, the escalating complexity of medical information and…

A listening group developed an operational definition of the closure phase based on audiotaped data from 22 office visits. A full communication analysis on the closure phase of the visit is presented. Interruptions to closure, including unfinished business, were studied. Doctors' communication skills needed to improve closure effectiveness are…

Few differences in quality of life results are reported between different primary surgical treatments for breast cancer. Assumptions regarding the role of informed choice in psychosocial morbidity have not been substantiated, and fewer women than expected take an active role in decision making. Rigorous research is needed. (Author/EMK)

Two polio-vaccine pamphlets written on a sixth-grade level were compared for readability, comprehension, and preference among a broad range of parents. The easy-to-read version was widely preferred, and comprehension was significantly higher. However, the use of instructional graphics was required to achieve an acceptable level of comprehension.…

Culturally sensitive visual aids designed to help convey drug information to nonliterate female adults requiring antibiotics were developed. Researchers conceptualized the messages, and a local artist produced the visual aids. Comprehension and compliance with prescription instructions were evaluated (N=78). Results and practical implications are…

Food selection is a key factor in the nutritional management of diabetes. Criteria that influence point-of-purchase decision making in women with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus were identified. Four types of shoppers were distinguished from interviews; cluster analysis was used to confirm the analysis. Usefulness in patient education is…

Presents a model linking health promotion, health education, and patient education. The bases for distinctions between health education, patient education, and clinical health promotion are examined. The linking elements of the model are patient role, relationships adopted, and focus of the encounter; i.e., disease process vs. disease management.…