This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Arntson, P. H. Articles by Philipsborn, H. F. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Arntson, P. H. Articles by Philipsborn, H. F. Pubmed/NCBI databases Medline Plus Health Information Family Issues Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Pediatrician-Parent Communication in a Continuity-of-care Setting

Department of CemnmnKation Studies, Center for Urban Affairs, Northwestern University

Herbert F. Philipsborn, M.D.

Child and Adolescent Center, Evanston Hospital Department of Pediatrics, McGaw Medical Center, Northwestern University Medical School, Evanston, Illinois

This study investigated pediatrician-parent communication by content, analyz ing medical encounters in a setting providing continuity of care. Thirty-eight encounters between middle class families and three senior pediatricians were au dio-taped, transcribed, and analyzed for content. The categories of medical com munication coded from the interactions were related to each family's medical and demographic characteristics. Five patterns of results emerged: (1) There was a highly stylized active-passive role relationship, with doctors asking twice as many questions and making twice as many commands as the parents did. (2) A strong reciprocity norm existed between pediatricians and parents for the communication of affect. (3) The higher the experience, income, and educational levels of the parents, the shorter the encounters were, the less frequently symptoms were dis cussed, and the more frequently medication and professional treatment were men tioned. (4) Parents discussed health more in terms of organicity of causes than did pediatricians who, more frequently, raised environmental factors. (5) The more the family had a history of past illnesses, the more frequently the doctors made affect comments during the encounters. Comparing the results to findings drawn from an emergency clinic documented the importance of sustained relationships between practitioners and patients.

Clinical Pediatrics, Vol. 21, No. 5, 302-307 (1982)
DOI: 10.1177/000992288202100507


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				R. Parrott, K. Greene, and R. Parker Negotiating Child Health Care Routines during Paediatrician-Parent Conversations Journal of Language and Social Psychology, March 1, 1992; 11(1-2): 35 - 45. [Abstract] [PDF]

				L. W. Sprunger An Analysis of Physician-Parent Communication in Pediatric Prenatal Interviews Clinical Pediatrics, August 1, 1983; 22(8): 553 - 558. [Abstract] [PDF]