Unraveling triadic communication in hospital consultations with adolescents with chronic conditions: The added value of mixed methods research

Abstract

Objective To integrate findings of a mixed methods research (MMR) into adolescents’ preferences and competencies for communication during consultations, in order to demonstrate the added value of MMR for health communication research. Methods Sequential MMR with adolescents (12–19 years) with various chronic conditions in a university hospital. Methods comprised: (1) 31 face-to-face interviews; (2) Q-methodology; (3) 39 observations of outpatient consultations; (4) three focus groups with 27 healthcare providers; (5) web-based questionnaire in 960 adolescents. Results Adolescents had different preferences regarding health communication, but all wished to be involved as partners. Yet, their actual participation during consultations was low. They often acted as bystanders rather than main characters because their participation was neither requested nor encouraged. Parents filled the gap, to healthcare providers’ frustration. The questionnaire confirmed the discrepancy between self-efficacy and self-reported independent behavior during consultations. Conclusion Triadic communication was all but multi-party-talk and adolescents did not act and were not considered as main partners. MMR was of pivotal importance for our understanding. Practice implications As chronically ill adolescents need to prepare themselves for transition to adult care, healthcare providers should encourage them to take the lead in communication by initiating independent visits and changing the parents’ roles.