Medical Interview Skills and Patient Satisfaction Levels in a Setting Utilizing Electronic Medical Records
- Author:
Yuji Nishizaki
;
Yasuo Yoshioka
;
Keiko Hayano
;
Junichi Miura
;
Kazuhisa Motomura
;
Junko Takei
;
Shino Fujitani
;
Nobuyoshi Mori
;
Seitaro Nomura
;
Hiromichi Tamaki
;
Takeshi Setoyama
;
Yasuharu Tokuda
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Electronic medical record;
Medical interview;
Patient satisfaction;
Non-verbal communication;
Eye contact
- From:General Medicine
2010;11(1):17-23
- CountryJapan
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
BACKGROUND : Electronic medical records (EMRs) were first introduced in the 1960s, and in Japan they are starting to become popular. Recognizing the need to adapt to a new clinical setting with EMRs, we aimed to explore which interviewing skills were associated with patient satisfaction in this era of EMR use.
METHODS : A prospective observational study was conducted to evaluate interviewing skills among medical residents and to collate data on patients' satisfaction levels at an outpatient general medicine walk-in clinic at a teaching hospital in Japan. Five trained raters reviewed the video recordings of these interviews and assessed them based on a predetermined set of criteria for medical interview skills developed specifically for an outpatient EMR setting. The relationships between these assessment scores and patient satisfaction levels were analyzed.
RESULTS : Significant skills that were associated with higher scores of patient satisfaction included : employed appropriate eye contact (P=0.021) ; and, invited patients directly without using a microphone (P=0.008). In addition, the degree of keyboard typing during interviews was not associated with patient satisfaction.
CONCLUSIONS : In an outpatient setting with EMR, using good non-verbal communication skills to build trustful relationships with patients is more likely to influence patient satisfaction levels. Even when physicians are typing on a keyboard, if they keep appropriate eye contact during medical interviews, patient satisfaction can be improved.
