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 Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Sprunger, L. W. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Sprunger, L. W. Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

An Analysis of Physician-Parent Communication in Pediatric Prenatal Interviews

From the Section of General Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson, Arizona

Thirty-three prenatal interviews done in the offices of four practicing pediatricians were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed for content by two separate methods. Interviews with the individual pediatricians varied markedly in length and were significantly longer if the father was present. Pediatricians took charge of the interviews by asking more questions than parents and by talking twice as much as parents. A relatively small number of topics (medical care of the infant, infant feeding, business aspects of the pediatrician's practice, and history of the current pregnancy) occupied a majority of the interview time. Although interviews with indi vidual pediatricians tended to include a standard set of topics, any given visit was individualized to address parents' issues. Follow-up interviews with mothers showed that they were highly satisfied with the visits and perceived the doctors as having been warm and friendly. Mothers' highly favorable reactions were achieved in spite of the fact that interview style was generally doctor-active/parent-passive, indicating that, in some medical settings, this approach may be quite appropriate.

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