Mandates of trust in the doctor-patient relationship.
Qual Health Res. 2011 Sep;2…

[Read more →]

Communication channels in general internal medicine: a description of baseline patterns for improved interprofessional collaboration.

Qual Health Res. 2009 Jul;19(7):943-53

Authors: Conn LG, Lingard L, Reeves S, Miller KL, Russell A, Zwarenstein M

General internal medicine (GIM) is a communicatively complex specialty because of its diverse patient population and the number and diversity of health care providers working on a medicine ward. Effective interprofessional communication in such information-intensive environments is critical to achieving optimal patient care. Few empirical studies have explored the ways in which health professionals exchange patient information and the implications of their chosen communication forms. In this article, we report on an ethnographic study of health professionals’ communication in two GIM wards through the lens of communication genre theory. We categorize and explore communication in GIM into two genre sets-synchronous and asynchronous-and analyze the relationship between them. Our findings reveal an essential relationship between synchronous and asynchronous modes of communication that has implications for the effectiveness of interprofessional collaboration in this and similar health care settings, and is intended to inform efforts to overcome existing interprofessional communication barriers.

PMID: 19474415 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

[Read more →]

Hospitalization for type 2 diabetes: the effects of the suspension of reality on patients’ subsequent management of their condition.

Qual Health Res. 2009 Aug;19(8):1100-15

Authors: Balcou-Debussche M, Debussche X

Hospitalization still plays a major part in the management of uncontrolled type 2 diabetes and its complications. In this article, we assess the effects of self-management education on the individual practices of 42 patients after discharge from specialized diabetes units on the French island of Reunion. Hospitalization offers respite and temporarily suspends the realities of daily life. When patients leave the unit where they have acquired new knowledge and practices, the extent to which the latter can be maintained depends on the practice in question, the individual’s circumstances, and his or her social relationships and support systems. In the longer term, therefore, the effects of self-management education interventions can be weak. The study findings reveal the complexities surrounding the acquisition of habits that maintain health and prevent illness. The article makes a significant contribution to the debate on patient support and the role of inpatient educational units.

PMID: 19638603 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

[Read more →]