Patient-Provider Communication

Catalog description

Review extant literature on provider-patient relationships, exploring in-depth the current and contemporary theoretical and methodological approaches to studying patient-provider encounters. Topics covered include patient uncertainty, shared decision-making, caregiving, difficult conversations, racially discordant communication between patients and providers, and implicit bias with the goal of developing strategies for health interventions such as patient aids and improving patient decision-making. Patient-provider dynamics involve communication between patients, family members, and medical teams in healthcare settings involving all types of providers (e.g., oncologists, nurses, physical therapists, patient navigators, and medical teams). Theories guiding topics covered include problematic integration theory, co-cultural theory, communicative disenfranchisement theory, communication accommodation theory, bilingual health communication, and more.