Parents’ Perceptions of Physicians’ Communicative Style

Abstract

Research indicates that parents are under a great deal of stress when a young child is ill and particularly when the child is hospitalized. A key factor in reducing anxiety for parents and children, as well as promoting family‐centered care, is effective communication with the physician and other health educators. This project examined relationships between parent perceptions of their child's physician's communication style and overall satisfaction with him/her. Relationships were examined in the office/clinic and hospital settings. A total of 120 parents participated in the study. The sample was drawn from parents with children attending university‐affiliated childcare centers in a southern US state. Parents who had experienced the hospitalization of a child were less satisfied with their physician during office visits than parents whose children had not been hospitalized. Relationships between the dimensions of physician's communication style and overall satisfaction were also found to differ according to whether the parents had experienced the hospitalization of a child. Children and parents seen in an office/clinic setting may be affected either positively or negatively by previous interactions experienced in the hospital. These interactions may impact health educator's and the primary physician's success in forming positive relationships with the child and family.