Eye Contact between Physicians and Older- patients in Anxiety-provoking Communication R Gorawara-Bhat*, D Dethmers** and MA Cook*** * Section of Geriatrics & Palliative Medicine, Department of Medicine, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637 ** School of Social Service Administration, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637 *** JVC Radiology and Medical Analysis LLC, Clayton, Missouri 63105 The International Conference on Communication in Healthcare 2011 19 October 2011, Chicago, Illinois, USA This research was supported by The Section of Geriatrics & Palliative Medicine (RGB) and JVC Radiology (MAC). The original research was supported by AHRQ # (1 RO3 HS01 4088-01A1) (RGB) and NIA Grant #
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Nonverbal Communication: Eye contact between physicians and older-patients in anxiety-provoking visits
This PP presentation delineates the nature of eye contact in anxiety-provoking interactions (e.g. cancer, acute medical visits) and compares it with eye contact in routine medical visits.
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Eye Contact between Physicians and Older-patients in Anxiety-provoking Communication
R Gorawara-Bhat*, D Dethmers** and MA Cook***
* Section of Geriatrics & Palliative Medicine, Department of Medicine,The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637
** School of Social Service Administration,The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637
*** JVC Radiology and Medical Analysis LLC,Clayton, Missouri 63105
The International Conference on Communication in Healthcare 201119 October 2011, Chicago, Illinois, USA
This research was supported by The Section of Geriatrics & Palliative Medicine (RGB) and JVC Radiology (MAC).The original research was supported by AHRQ # (1 RO3 HS01 4088-01A1) (RGB) and NIA Grant # R44 AG15737 (MAC).
The Investigators retained full independence in the conduct of this research.
Eye Contact in Physician-Older patient Interactions
• Anxiety-provoking segments coded (n = 37) # of physician older-patient visits: n = 36 ; 3 tapes w multiple segments # of physician older-patient, companion* visits: n = 3(*companion – an extension of older patient)
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Data Analysis – NVivo 9.0 Software
• Qualitative Software -- NVivo 9.0 used to code physician and patient nonverbal (“looking”) and verbal (“talking”) characteristics in anxiety-provoking segments
A. Codes for physician “looking” & “talking” (nonverbal & verbal communication)
1. Physician Looking and Not Talking (listen)2. Physician Looking and Talking (listen)3. Physician Not Looking and Talking (not listen)4. Physician Not Looking and no responsive Talking (not listen)
B. Codes for patient “looking” & “talking” (nonverbal & verbal communication)
1. Patient Looking and Not Talking (listen)2. Patient Looking and Talking (listen)3. Patient Not Looking and Talking (not listen)4. Patient Not Looking and no responsive Talking (not listen) 6
Results - Demographics
Table 2: Demographic Characteristics of
Physicians & Older-Patients in Anxiety-provoking visits
Physicians (n = 18 ) Older-patients (n = 37)
Average (Range) 52 (34 -82) 74 (65 – 91)
Caucasian 16 36
African-American 2 1
Age (years)
Race
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Anxiety-provoking Communication
Example – Suicidal Ideation
• Frequency of occurrence
of physicians’ gaze is twice
that of patient (96% vs 54%)
• Physician - “sustained” gaze
establishes “engagement frame”
• Patient – “brief” gaze
no reciprocal frame maintenance
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Anxiety-provoking Communication
Example -- Smoking
• Physician’s frequency of gaze
-- high (92%)
• Patient’s frequency
of gaze -- similar (89%)
• Physician initiates
“engagement frame”;
patient reciprocates gaze
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Anxiety-provoking Communication
Example – Acute Medical Issue
• Physician’s frequency of
gaze -- low (72%)
-- Characterized –
“Brief” episode
• Patients frequency of
gaze -- continuous (95%)
-- Characterized as
“Sustained” episode
-- Establish
“engagement frame”
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Anxiety-provoking Communication
Example – Cancer
• Physician -- low
eye contact (60%)
• Patient -- high
eye contact (90%)
- tries to establish
“engagement frame”
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Characteristics of Physician “Looking & Listening”
Table 3: Comparison of Anxiety-provoking & Routine Visits
Number of Brief Episodes/ Visit 3.1 2.5 4 7.25 4.4
Number of Sustained Episodes/ Visit 1.9 2.7 2.3 1.6 1.9
CHARACTERISTICS OF SEGMENTS
TYPE OF EYE CONTACT
ROUTINE VISITS (n= 8)Cancer
(n=14)
Depression/ Suicide (n=7)
Behavioral (n=7)
Acute Medical
EYE CONTACT BY TYPE OF INTERACTION
ANXIETY-PROVOKING VISITS
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Table 4: Nonverbal & Verbal Communication between Physicians and Older-patients in Different Types of Anxiety-provoking Visits
Results – Communication
Communication
Cancer (n =14)
Depression/ Suicide (n = 7)
Behavioral Issues (n =7)
Acute Medical Issues (n =9)
NONVERBAL
Physician 2.7 (73%) 22.5 (96%) 12 (92%) 3 (72%)
Patient 8.5 (90%) 1.2 (54%) 8 (89%) 18 (95%)
VERBAL
Physician 2.3 (70%) 1.1 (51%) 1 (56%) 1.4 (58%)
Patient 1 (48%) 1.4 (48%) 1 (48%) 1.3 (57%)
Ratios of "Looking" and "Talking" (%)
Ratio of frequency of "Looking" to "Not-Looking" (%)
Ratio of frequency of "Talking" to "Not-Talking" (%)
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Results – “Looking” and “Talking”
Table 5: Comparison of “Looking” and “Talking” in Anxiety-provoking and Routine Visits
(n = 8) (n = 8)
Physician 5 ( 83%) 2 (65%)
Patient 2 ( 68%) 60 ( 98%)
Physician 1.4 ( 58%) 2 (66%)
Patient 1.2 (55%) 1 (47%)
CommunicationAnxiety-Provoking
visits (%)Routine visits (%)
Ratio of Looking to Not-looking
Ratio of Talking to Not-talking
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Summary and Conclusions - 1
In Verbal Communication:• In Anxiety-provoking and Routine interactions – Frequency of occurrence of
“talking” for physicians and patients is similar.
Physicians and Patients “accommodate”, i.e. ‘complement’ one another in terms of the functions of their respective utterances (Street, 1991).
In Nonverbal Communication (Eye contact):• In anxiety-provoking interactions—physicians seek patients gaze to
establish ‘engagement frame’
- patients reciprocate to some extent (Table 5).
• In routine interactions, patients seek physicians gaze to establish ‘engagement frame’
- physicians show little reciprocal behavior (Table 5)
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Conclusions and Implications -- 2
• 1. Nonverbal dimension of Eye contact – an essential foundation for patient-centered communication -- used differentially in routine and anxiety-provoking interactions by physicians
• 2. When a prescriptive resolution of patients’ chief complaint is possible, physicians may not invoke eye contact to complement verbal communication. E.g. acute medical issues, routine visits, prostate cancer.
• 3. When no prescriptive resolution of patients’ chief complaint is conceivable, physicians generally invoke eye contact to complement their verbal communication. E.g. suicidal ideation, depression.
• 4. To make interaction patient-centered, physician education should emphasize that physicians’ invoke eye contact to complement verbal communication and establish an ‘engagement frame’ with patients.
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References
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• Gorawara-Bhat R, Cook MA, Sachs GA. Nonverbal communication in doctor– elderly patient transactions (NDEPT): development of a tool. Patient Educ Couns 2007; 66:223–34.
• Ruusvuori J. Looking means listening: coordinating displays of engagement in doctor–patient interaction. Soc Sci Med 2001;52:1093–108.
• Robinson JD. Getting down to business: talk, gaze and body orientation during openings of doctor–patient consultations. Health Commun 1998;25: 97–123.