Tested communication strategies for providing information to patients in medical consultations: A scoping review and quality assessment of the literature

Julia Menichetti; Hanne C Lie; Anneli V Mellblom; Espen Andreas Brembo; Hilde Eide; Pål Gulbrandsen; Lena Heyn; Kristina H Saltveit; Hilde Strømme; Vibeke Sundling; Eva Turk; Lene K Juvet

doi:10.1016/j.pec.2021.01.019

Tested communication strategies for providing information to patients in medical consultations: A scoping review and quality assessment of the literature

Patient Educ Couns. 2021 Aug;104(8):1891-1903. doi: 10.1016/j.pec.2021.01.019. Epub 2021 Jan 20.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway. Electronic address: j.p.m.delor@medisin.uio.no.
² Department of Behavioral Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway. Electronic address: h.c.lie@medisin.uio.no.
³ Department of Behavioral Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; Regional Centre for Child and Adolescent Mental Health, Eastern and Southern Norway (RBUP), Oslo, Norway. Electronic address: Anneli.mellblom@medisin.uio.no.
⁴ Science Centre Health and Technology, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, University of South-Eastern Norway, Drammen, Norway. Electronic address: Espen.Andreas.Brembo@usn.no.
⁵ Science Centre Health and Technology, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, University of South-Eastern Norway, Drammen, Norway. Electronic address: hilde.eide@usn.no.
⁶ Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; Health Services Research (HØKH) Centre, Akershus University Hospital, Lørenskog, Norway. Electronic address: Pal.gulbrandsen@medisin.uio.no.
⁷ Science Centre Health and Technology, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, University of South-Eastern Norway, Drammen, Norway. Electronic address: Lena.heyn@usn.no.
⁸ Department of Behavioral Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway. Electronic address: k.h.saltveit@studmed.uio.no.
⁹ Library of Medicine and Science, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway. Electronic address: Hilde.stromme@ub.uio.no.
¹⁰ Department of Optometry, Radiography and Lighting Design, University of South-Eastern Norway, Kongsberg, Norway. Electronic address: Vibeke.Sundling@usn.no.
¹¹ Science Centre Health and Technology, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, University of South-Eastern Norway, Drammen, Norway; Medical Faculty, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia. Electronic address: Eva.turk@usn.no.
¹² Department of Nursing and Health Sciences, University of South-Eastern Norway, Drammen, Norway; Norvegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway. Electronic address: LeneKristine.Juvet@fhi.no.

PMID: 33516591
DOI: 10.1016/j.pec.2021.01.019

Abstract

Objectives: To systematize the scientific knowledge of empirically tested strategies for verbally providing medical information in patient-physician consultations.

Methods: A scoping review searching for terms related to physician, information, oral communication, and controlled study. Four pairs of reviewers screened articles. For each selected study, we assessed the quality and summarized aspects on participants, study, intervention, and outcomes. Information provision strategies were inductively classified by types and main categories.

Results: After screening 9422 articles, 39 were included. The methodological quality was moderate. We identified four differently used categories of strategies for providing information: cognitive aid (n = 13), persuasive (n = 8), relationship- (n = 3), and objectivity-oriented strategies (n = 4); plus, one "mixed" category (n = 11). Strategies were rarely theoretically derived.

Conclusions: Current research of tested strategies for verbally providing medical information is marked by great heterogeneity in methods and outcomes, and lack of theory-driven approaches. The list of strategies could be used to analyse real life communication.

Practice implications: Findings may aid the harmonization of future efforts to develop empirically-based information provision strategies to be used in clinical and teaching settings.

Keywords: Information provision; Intervention classification; Medical communication; Physician-patient relationship; Scoping review.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

MeSH terms

Communication*
Humans
Referral and Consultation*