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| Research article summary (published 29 Nov 2002): |
Gender differences in health care provider-patient communication: are they due to style, stereotypes, or accommodation?
Full Abstract
This article examines gender differences in health care provider-patient communication within the framework of an ecological model of communication in the medical encounter. The ecological perspective posits that, although health care provider-patient interactions are situated within a number of contexts (e.g. organizational, political, cultural), the interpersonal domain is the primary context within which these interactions unfold. Hence, gender may influence provider-patient interaction to the extent that it can be linked to the interactants' goals, skills, perceptions, emotions, and the way the participants adapt to their partner's communication. The evidence reviewed in this essay indicates that gender differences in medical encounters may come from several sources including differences in men's and women's communicative styles, perceptions of their partners, and in the way they accommodate their partner's behavior during the interaction. However, because gender is but one of many personal and partner variables (e.g. age, ethnicity, personal experiences) that can influence these processes, gender differences are often quite modest (if apparent at all) when examined across a population of health care providers and patients. Implications for future research and communicative skill training are discussed.
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Author information
Author/s: Street, Richard L (RL);
Affiliation: Department of Speech Communication, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-4234, USA. r-street@tamu.edu
Grants: P01 HS10876 (Agency:United States AHRQ)
Journal and publication information
Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.; Review
Journal: Patient education and counseling (Patient Educ Couns), published in Ireland. (Language: eng)
Reference: 2002-Dec; vol 48 (issue 3) : pp 201-6
Dates: Created 2002/12/12; Completed 2003/03/03; Revised 2007/11/14;
PMID: 12477604, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)
Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.
Comments and Corrections
CommentIn: Patient Educ Couns. 2002 Dec;48(3):199-200. (PMID: 12477603)
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