A study of doctors' and patients' communication during a primary care consultation: Implications for communication training

Previous coding schemes used to assess doctor-patient interaction have been inadequate with respect to the scope of categories used to identify: (a) information exchange and relational communication, and (b) thematic topics of talk. Thirty-two doctor-patient interviews were analyzed with a new coding scheme that includes multiple categories of information exchange and relational communication, and allows for identification of thematic topics of talk. The results revealed both effective and less effective patterns of information exchange and relational communication between doctors and patients. These patterns were further elaborated by examining the topics of talk with which they occurred. Particular attention was given to implications the results have for communication skills training for doctors and patients.