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Article
Publication date: 1 December 2020

Mohammadkarim Bahadori, Edris Hasanpoor, Maryam Yaghoubi and Elaheh HaghGoshyie

The medical consultation is one of the requirements in diseases diagnosis and patient treatment. In addition, a high-quality consultation is a fundamental demand of patients, and…

Abstract

Purpose

The medical consultation is one of the requirements in diseases diagnosis and patient treatment. In addition, a high-quality consultation is a fundamental demand of patients, and it is one of the rights of every patient. The purpose of this paper is to identify factors affecting the high-quality consultation in medical communications.

Design/methodology/approach

The following electronic databases were searched: MEDLINE (via PubMed), Web of Science, Cochrane, EMBASE, Scopus and ProQuest until December 2018. In addition, the authors searched Google Scholar. Qualitative and quantitative studies were assessed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme, Qualitative Checklist and the Center for Evidence-Based Management appraisal checklist, respectively. A stepwise approach was conducted for data synthesis.

Findings

Of 3,826 identified studies, 29 met the full inclusion criteria. Overall, after quality assessment of studies, 25 studies were included. The studies were conducted in the USA (n=6), the UK (n=6), the Netherlands (n=4), Canada (n=2), Belgium (n=2), Poland (n=2), Germany (n=1), Iran (n=1), Finland (n=1), Austria (n=1), Qatar (n=1), Denmark (n=1) and China (n=1), and five studies were excluded. Data synthesis showed that high-quality consultation consisted of three main categories: structural (4 main themes with 26 sub-themes), process (2 main themes with 33 sub-themes) and outcome (3 main themes with 12 sub-themes) quality.

Originality/value

Using the indicators of consultation quality improvement can develop physicians’ clinical competence and skills. Decision makers can use them to monitor and evaluate physicians’ performance. A high-quality consultation can be useful in social prescribing that helps patients to manage their disease.

Details

International Journal of Human Rights in Healthcare, vol. 13 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2056-4902

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 12 August 2019

Xiao Ping Xu, Dong Ge Ke, Dong Ning Deng, Shannon H. Houser, Xiao Ning Li, Qing Wang and Ng Chui Shan

The purposes of this paper are two-fold: first, to introduce a new concept of primary care consultation system at a mainland Chinese hospital in response to healthcare reform; and…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purposes of this paper are two-fold: first, to introduce a new concept of primary care consultation system at a mainland Chinese hospital in response to healthcare reform; and second, to explore the factors associated with change resistance and acceptance from both patients’ and medical staff’s perspectives.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey design study, with two questionnaires developed and distributed to patients and medical staff. Convenience and stratified random sampling methods were applied to patient and medical staff samples.

Findings

A 5-dimension, 21-item patient questionnaire and a 4-dimension, 16-item staff questionnaire were identified and confirmed, with 1020 patients (91.07 percent) and 202 staff (90.18 percent) as effective survey participants. The results revealed that patient resistance mainly stems from a lack of personal experiences with visiting general practice (GP) and being educated or having lived overseas; while staff resistance came from occupation, education, GP training certificate, and knowledge and experience with specialists. Living in overseas and knowledge of GP concepts, gender and education are associated with resistance of accepting the new practice model for both patients and staff.

Originality/value

There are few Chinese studies on process reengineering in the medical sector; this is the first study to adopt this medical consultation model and change in patients’ consultation culture in Mainland China. Applying organizational change and process reengineering theories to medical and healthcare services not only extends and expands hospital management theory but also allows investigation of modern hospital management practice. The experience from this study can serve as a reference to promote this new consultation model in Chinese healthcare reform.

Details

International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, vol. 32 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0952-6862

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 May 2010

Kimiko Katsuyama, Yuichi Koyama, Yasushi Hirano, Kenji Mase, Ken Kato, Satoshi Mizuno and Kazunobu Yamauchi

Measurements of the quality of physician‐patient communication are important in assessing patient outcomes, but the quality of communication is difficult to quantify. The aim of…

Abstract

Purpose

Measurements of the quality of physician‐patient communication are important in assessing patient outcomes, but the quality of communication is difficult to quantify. The aim of this paper is to develop a computer analysis system for the physician‐patient consultation process (CASC), which will use a quantitative method to quantify and analyze communication exchanges between physicians and patients during the consultation process.

Design/methodology/approach

CASC is based on the concept of narrative‐based medicine using a computer‐mediated communication (CMC) technique from a cognitive dialog processing system. Effective and ineffective consultation samples from the works of Saito and Kleinman were tested with CASC in order to establish the validity of CASC for use in clinical practice. After validity was confirmed, three researchers compared their assessments of consultation processes in a physician's office with CASCs. Consultations of 56 migraine patients were recorded with permission, and for this study consultations of 29 patients that included more than 50 words were used.

Findings

Transcribed data from the 29 consultations input into CASC resulted in two diagrams of concept structure and concept space to assess the quality of consultation. The concordance rate between the assessments by CASC and the researchers was 75 percent.

Originality/value

In this study, a computer‐based communication analysis system was established that efficiently quantifies the quality of the physician‐patient consultation process. The system is promising as an effective tool for evaluating the quality of physician‐patient communication in clinical and educational settings.

Details

International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, vol. 23 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0952-6862

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 30 November 2020

Dan Wu, Hao Xu and Shu Fan

This paper aims to identify consumers' health information consultation patterns by analyzing information sources to better understand consumers' health information needs and…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to identify consumers' health information consultation patterns by analyzing information sources to better understand consumers' health information needs and behavior in the context of multisource health information.

Design/methodology/approach

Haodaifu Online, an online health consultation (OHC) website in China, was used as a research data source, and 20,000 consultation cases were collected from the website with Python. After screening and cleaning, 1,601 consultation cases were included in this study. A content analysis-based mixed-methods research approach was applied to analyze these cases.

Findings

The results indicate that with the participation of OHC, there are 15 patterns of consumer health information consultation. Besides OHC, health information sources reported by consumers included medical institutions family/friends and the Internet. Consumers consult on a wide range of health issues including surgical conditions obstetrical and gynecological conditions and other 20 subjects. Consumers have multiple information needs when using OHC: getting prescriptions, diagnosing diseases, making appointments, understanding illnesses, confirming diagnoses and reviewing costs. Through further analysis it was found that consumers’ health information consultation patterns were also significantly different in health issues and health information needs.

Originality/value

This study broadens one’s understanding of consumer health information behavior, which contributes to the field of health information behavior, and also provides insight for OHC stakeholders to improve their services.

Article
Publication date: 28 August 2019

Sakineh Hajebrahimi, Ali Janati, Morteza Arab-Zozani, Mobin Sokhanvar, Elaheh Haghgoshayie, Yibeltal Siraneh, Mohammadkarim Bahadori and Edris Hasanpoor

Visit time is a crucial aspect of patient–physician interaction; its inadequacy can negatively impact the efficiency of treatment and diagnosis. In addition, visit time is a…

Abstract

Purpose

Visit time is a crucial aspect of patient–physician interaction; its inadequacy can negatively impact the efficiency of treatment and diagnosis. In addition, visit time is a fundamental demand of patients, and it is one of the rights of every patient. The purpose of this paper is to determine factors influencing the consultation length of physicians and to compare consultation length in different countries.

Design/methodology/approach

MEDLINE (PubMed), Web of Science, Cochrane, ProQuest, Scopus, and Google Scholar were searched. In addition, references of references were checked, and publication lists of individual scholars in the field were examined. We used data sources up to June 2018, without language restriction. We used a random-effects model for the meta-analyses. Meta-analyses were conducted using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis Version (CMA) 3.0.

Findings

Of 16,911 identified studies, 189 studies were assessed of which 125 cases (67 percent) have been conducted in the USA. A total of 189 studies, 164 (86.77 percent) involved face-to face-consultations. The effects of three variables, physician gender, patient gender, and type of consultation were analyzed. According to moderate and strong evidence studies, no significant difference was found in the consultation lengths of female and male doctors (Q=42.72, df=8, I2=81.27, p=0.891) and patients’ gender (Q=55.98, df=11, I2=80.35, p=0.314). In addition, no significant difference was found in the telemedicine or face-to-face visits (Q=41.25, df=5, I2=87.88, p=0.170).

Originality/value

In this systematic review and meta-analysis, all of physicians’ visits in 34 countries were surveyed. The evidence suggests that specified variables do not influence the length of consultations. Good relationship is essential to a safe and high-quality consultation and referral process. A high-quality consultation can improve decisions and quality of visits, treatment effectiveness, efficiency of service, quality of care, patient safety and physician and patient satisfaction.

Details

International Journal of Human Rights in Healthcare, vol. 12 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2056-4902

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 29 August 2008

Lidia Del Piccolo, Maria Angela Mazzi, Silvia Scardoni, Martina Gobbi and Christa Zimmermann

The prupose of this paper is to present the development of the Verona Patient‐Centred Communication Evaluation (VR‐COPE) scale, together with its psychometric properties. The nine…

1259

Abstract

Purpose

The prupose of this paper is to present the development of the Verona Patient‐Centred Communication Evaluation (VR‐COPE) scale, together with its psychometric properties. The nine item rating scale assesses the content and relational aspects of patient‐centred communication during medical consultations on the basis of a multidimensional evaluation as suggested by the more recent literature in the field. Each item is defined by operational definitions.

Design/methodology/approach

A sample of 246 transcribed primary care consultations was rated with the VR‐COPE. Explorative factor analysis, Pearson correlation coefficients and internal consistency using Cronbach's alpha were calculated. Convergent validity with the Verona Medical Interview Classification System (VR‐MICS) was also tested. A sub sample of 32 consultations was used to assess inter‐rater reliability.

Findings

Interrater reliability and internal consistency were good (overall Cronbach alpha=0.75). Four factors (explaining 74 per cent of the variance) were extracted by exploratory factor analysis. Six items of the VR‐COPE correlated significantly with specific communication skills evidenced by the VR‐MICS and pertained to the physician's ability to explore medical or psychosocial issues. The VR‐COPE items on interview structure and shared decision, more related to process than to specific skills, had no equivalent in the VR‐MICS.

Originality/value

The new rating scale responds to the need in communication research for a multidimensional scale that combines the evaluation of specific skills and process aspects.

Details

Health Education, vol. 108 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0965-4283

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 24 October 2019

Yi-Fen Liu, Jun-Fang Liao and Jacob Jou

The purpose of this paper is to explore healthcare waiting time and the negative and positive effects (i.e. the dual effects) it has on outpatient satisfaction.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore healthcare waiting time and the negative and positive effects (i.e. the dual effects) it has on outpatient satisfaction.

Design/methodology/approach

Self-administered surveys with 334 outpatients and follow-up interviews with 20 outpatients in three large hospitals in Taiwan were conducted to collect data.

Findings

Quantitative surveys demonstrated that perceived waiting time correlated with satisfaction negatively first but then positively. Satisfaction also correlated with doctor reputation and patient sociability. Follow-up qualitative interviews further revealed that, for some patients, waiting contributed positively to patient evaluations through signaling better healthcare quality and facilitating social interaction.

Originality/value

This research demonstrated the possibility that waiting might have positive effects on healthcare satisfaction. It also identified variables that could produce greater positive perceptions during hospital waiting and underlying mechanisms that could explain how the positive effects work. This research may potentially help hospitals with a better understanding of how they can improve patients’ waiting experiences and increase satisfaction.

Details

Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, vol. 32 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-5855

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 5 April 2021

Alceu Salles Camargo Jr

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the economic benefits of managing an outpatient appointments system with technological innovations.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the economic benefits of managing an outpatient appointments system with technological innovations.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses a quantitative methodological procedures aiming to evaluate the cost-benefit relation and also the payback of the management and operation of an outpatient appointments system with technological innovations.

Findings

This study found a great benefit-cost relation of 30.6 showing the great economic value and social impact of managing an outpatient appointments regulation system with technological innovations.

Research limitations/implications

This study presents contribution to the literature discussion about the economic evaluation of the benefits of managing and operating more effective outpatient appointments systems because of important technological innovations.

Practical implications

This paper presents and discusses the most important and commonly used strategies and technological innovations to deal with and to manage an outpatient appointment regulation system aiming to reduce the patient no-show rates.

Social implications

The findings of this study show a great benefit-cost relation of about 30.6 which is being reverted to the society.

Originality/value

There not exist many similar studies in the pertinent literature, mostly with the Brazilian contexts.

Article
Publication date: 29 November 2022

Anson Au

This article investigates how medical specialists as professionals and elective cosmetic surgery tourists as consumers relationally negotiate decisions within the cosmetic surgery…

Abstract

Purpose

This article investigates how medical specialists as professionals and elective cosmetic surgery tourists as consumers relationally negotiate decisions within the cosmetic surgery clinic. Drawing on a Goffmanian approach, this article explores the processual social structures that shape consumer logics in the clinic as a social space and as a type of professional institution.

Design/methodology/approach

This article is based on ethnographic fieldwork in cosmetic surgery clinics in South Korea.

Findings

This article identifies two genres of professional strategies (spatial arrangements and dramaturgical performances) that are leveraged by medical specialists to assert control over and persuade consumers to purchase cosmetic surgery.

Research limitations/implications

The valorization of surgery captured in this article suggests that surgical modifications may serve as another vehicle for entrenching class inequality between those able and those unable to afford surgery.

Practical implications

This article offers recommendations for future policymaking in terms of the regulatory oversight of the consumer profiles eligible for surgery and the marketing practices of clinics.

Originality/value

This article offers a micro-level account of how the high-risk good of cosmetic surgery is sold by medical specialists in charismatic and affective bids to enhance their legitimacy, authority and trust.

Details

International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, vol. 43 no. 9/10
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-333X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 10 January 2020

Wen Xing, Ping Yu Hsu, Yu-Wei Chang and Wen-Lung Shiau

The purpose of this paper is to investigate factors that influence the patients’ intentions to visit doctors face-to-face for consultations from the perspective of online…

2013

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate factors that influence the patients’ intentions to visit doctors face-to-face for consultations from the perspective of online doctor–patient interaction. Justice theory, SERVQUAL and the halo effect are integrated to develop a research model based on the performance-evaluation-outcome framework. The authors hypothesize that perceived justice and service quality are the significant factors in reflecting the performance of online doctor–patient interaction, which influences patient satisfaction evaluation and online and offline behavioral intentions.

Design/methodology/approach

The study conducted an online survey to collect data. Patients on a healthcare consulting website were invited to participate in the survey. The research model and hypotheses were tested with 254 collected data from patients and analyzed using the partial least squares method.

Findings

The results show that perceived justice and service quality have a positive effect on patient satisfaction, and satisfaction and the intention of online consultation have a positive effect on the intention of face-to-face consultation.

Practical implications

This study offers suggestions on how doctors interact with patients and build their brand image. The findings also offer effective insights into improving doctors’ online services to retain patients and even encourage patients to go to clinics.

Originality/value

Online health consultation is one of the most popular online health services and is growing quickly. After patients consult online doctors, they are able to visit their doctors in person for further diagnosis and treatment if they have the need. This study investigates how patients’ online interactive experience influences their offline behavioral intentions, which are different from most of the past literature on eHealth.

Details

Industrial Management & Data Systems, vol. 120 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-5577

Keywords

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