Association of perceived physician communication style with patient satisfaction, distress, cancer-related self-efficacy, and perceived control over the disease

TLDR

The study examined how patients’ perceptions of physicians’ attentiveness and empathy relate to satisfaction, distress, self‑efficacy, and perceived control in cancer care. 454 oncology outpatients completed distress, self‑efficacy, and control questionnaires before and after a consultation, then rated physician communication with the PPRI, while physicians estimated patient satisfaction. Higher PPRI scores for attentiveness and empathy were associated with greater satisfaction, higher self‑efficacy, and lower distress, whereas lower scores reduced physicians’ ability to gauge satisfaction, underscoring communication as a core clinical skill.

Abstract

The aim of the study was to investigate the association of physician communication behaviours as perceived by the patient with patient reported satisfaction, distress, cancer-related self-efficacy, and perceived control over the disease in cancer patients. Questionnaires measuring distress, self-efficacy, and perceived control were completed prior to and after the consultation by 454 patients attending an oncology outpatient clinic. After the consultation, the patients also rated the physicians' communicative behaviours by completing a patient–physician relationship inventory (PPRI), and the physicians were asked to estimate patient satisfaction. The overall results showed that higher PPRI scores of physician attentiveness and empathy were associated with greater patient satisfaction, increased self-efficacy, and reduced emotional distress following the consultation. In contrast, lower PPRI scores were associated with reduced ability of the physician to estimate patient satisfaction. The results confirm and expand previous findings, suggesting that communication is a core clinical skill in oncology.