Patient-Physician communication and its dimensions

It is well established that patient-physician communication is considered as determinant factor in both their relationship and the quality of medical care provided. Several models have been proposed about the description of the types of relationship and communication between physicians and patients, as well as the analysis of shared decision making in clinical practice, focusing mainly on oncology patients. In particular, Roter et al., interpreted five communication patterns (narrowly biomedical, expanded biomedical, biopsychosocial, psychosocial and consumerist) parallel the ideal forms of patients-physician relationships described in literature for primary health care physicians. According to this model, the type of relationship affects the patient’s participation in shared decision making and are recommended two conceptual models of Stiggelbout et al., and Kane et al., for facilitating shared decision making in oncology practice. Namely, medical language has negative consequences for both patients and patient-physician relationship with the physicians during the diagnosis of some forms of breast cancer, such as ductal carcinoma in situ. Additionally, it is imperative the proposal of a guide to strengthen the recall of information during the medical visit to young specialists, which considers the active patient as the key player. Keywords: patient-physician communication, shared decision making, breast cancer, recall of information.

Keywords: patient-physician communication, shared decision making, breast cancer, recall of information