The power of clinicians' affective communication: how reassurance about non-abandonment can reduce patients' physiological arousal and increase information recall in bad news consultations. An experimental study using analogue patients

Milou S C Sep; Mara van Osch; Liesbeth M van Vliet; Ellen M A Smets; Jozien M Bensing

doi:10.1016/j.pec.2013.12.022

The power of clinicians' affective communication: how reassurance about non-abandonment can reduce patients' physiological arousal and increase information recall in bad news consultations. An experimental study using analogue patients

Milou S C Sep, Mara van Osch, Liesbeth M van Vliet, Ellen M A Smets, Jozien M Bensing

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The diagnosis of incurable cancer may evoke physiological arousal in patients. Physiological arousal can negatively impact patients' recall of information provided in the medical consultation. We aim to investigate whether clinicians' affective communication during a bad news consultation will decrease patients' physiological arousal and will improve recall.

METHODS: Healthy women (N=50), acting as analogue patients, were randomly assigned to watch one out of the two versions of a scripted video-vignette of a bad news consultation in which clinician's communication differed: standard vs. affective communication. Participants' skin conductance levels were obtained during video-watching, and afterwards their recall was assessed.

RESULTS: While the diagnosis increased skin conductance levels in all analogue patients, skin conductance levels during the remainder of the consultation decreased more in the affective communication condition than in the standard condition. Analogue patients' recall was significantly higher in the affective condition.

CONCLUSION: Breaking bad news evokes physiological arousal. Affective communication can decrease this evoked physiological arousal and might be partly responsible for analogue patients' enhanced information recall.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Although our findings need to be translated to clinical patients, they suggest that clinicians need to deal with patients' emotions before providing additional medical information.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	45-52
Number of pages	8
Journal	Patient Education and Counseling
Volume	95
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2013.12.022
Publication status	Published - Apr 2014

Keywords

Adult
Affect
Aged
Arousal
Breast Neoplasms
Communication
Empathy
Female
Galvanic Skin Response
Humans
Mental Recall
Middle Aged
Patient Simulation
Physician-Patient Relations
Psychophysiology
Referral and Consultation
Truth Disclosure
Videotape Recording

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Sep, M. S. C., van Osch, M., van Vliet, L. M., Smets, E. M. A., & Bensing, J. M. (2014). The power of clinicians' affective communication: how reassurance about non-abandonment can reduce patients' physiological arousal and increase information recall in bad news consultations. An experimental study using analogue patients. Patient Education and Counseling, 95(1), 45-52. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2013.12.022

Sep, Milou S C ; van Osch, Mara ; van Vliet, Liesbeth M et al. / The power of clinicians' affective communication : how reassurance about non-abandonment can reduce patients' physiological arousal and increase information recall in bad news consultations. An experimental study using analogue patients. In: Patient Education and Counseling. 2014 ; Vol. 95, No. 1. pp. 45-52.

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abstract = "OBJECTIVE: The diagnosis of incurable cancer may evoke physiological arousal in patients. Physiological arousal can negatively impact patients' recall of information provided in the medical consultation. We aim to investigate whether clinicians' affective communication during a bad news consultation will decrease patients' physiological arousal and will improve recall.METHODS: Healthy women (N=50), acting as analogue patients, were randomly assigned to watch one out of the two versions of a scripted video-vignette of a bad news consultation in which clinician's communication differed: standard vs. affective communication. Participants' skin conductance levels were obtained during video-watching, and afterwards their recall was assessed.RESULTS: While the diagnosis increased skin conductance levels in all analogue patients, skin conductance levels during the remainder of the consultation decreased more in the affective communication condition than in the standard condition. Analogue patients' recall was significantly higher in the affective condition.CONCLUSION: Breaking bad news evokes physiological arousal. Affective communication can decrease this evoked physiological arousal and might be partly responsible for analogue patients' enhanced information recall.PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Although our findings need to be translated to clinical patients, they suggest that clinicians need to deal with patients' emotions before providing additional medical information.",

keywords = "Adult, Affect, Aged, Arousal, Breast Neoplasms, Communication, Empathy, Female, Galvanic Skin Response, Humans, Mental Recall, Middle Aged, Patient Simulation, Physician-Patient Relations, Psychophysiology, Referral and Consultation, Truth Disclosure, Videotape Recording",

author = "Sep, {Milou S C} and {van Osch}, Mara and {van Vliet}, {Liesbeth M} and Smets, {Ellen M A} and Bensing, {Jozien M}",

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doi = "10.1016/j.pec.2013.12.022",

language = "English",

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Sep, MSC, van Osch, M, van Vliet, LM, Smets, EMA & Bensing, JM 2014, 'The power of clinicians' affective communication: how reassurance about non-abandonment can reduce patients' physiological arousal and increase information recall in bad news consultations. An experimental study using analogue patients', Patient Education and Counseling, vol. 95, no. 1, pp. 45-52. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2013.12.022

The power of clinicians' affective communication: how reassurance about non-abandonment can reduce patients' physiological arousal and increase information recall in bad news consultations. An experimental study using analogue patients. / Sep, Milou S C; van Osch, Mara; van Vliet, Liesbeth M et al.
In: Patient Education and Counseling, Vol. 95, No. 1, 04.2014, p. 45-52.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

TY - JOUR

T1 - The power of clinicians' affective communication

T2 - how reassurance about non-abandonment can reduce patients' physiological arousal and increase information recall in bad news consultations. An experimental study using analogue patients

AU - Sep, Milou S C

AU - van Osch, Mara

AU - van Vliet, Liesbeth M

AU - Smets, Ellen M A

AU - Bensing, Jozien M

PY - 2014/4

Y1 - 2014/4

N2 - OBJECTIVE: The diagnosis of incurable cancer may evoke physiological arousal in patients. Physiological arousal can negatively impact patients' recall of information provided in the medical consultation. We aim to investigate whether clinicians' affective communication during a bad news consultation will decrease patients' physiological arousal and will improve recall.METHODS: Healthy women (N=50), acting as analogue patients, were randomly assigned to watch one out of the two versions of a scripted video-vignette of a bad news consultation in which clinician's communication differed: standard vs. affective communication. Participants' skin conductance levels were obtained during video-watching, and afterwards their recall was assessed.RESULTS: While the diagnosis increased skin conductance levels in all analogue patients, skin conductance levels during the remainder of the consultation decreased more in the affective communication condition than in the standard condition. Analogue patients' recall was significantly higher in the affective condition.CONCLUSION: Breaking bad news evokes physiological arousal. Affective communication can decrease this evoked physiological arousal and might be partly responsible for analogue patients' enhanced information recall.PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Although our findings need to be translated to clinical patients, they suggest that clinicians need to deal with patients' emotions before providing additional medical information.

AB - OBJECTIVE: The diagnosis of incurable cancer may evoke physiological arousal in patients. Physiological arousal can negatively impact patients' recall of information provided in the medical consultation. We aim to investigate whether clinicians' affective communication during a bad news consultation will decrease patients' physiological arousal and will improve recall.METHODS: Healthy women (N=50), acting as analogue patients, were randomly assigned to watch one out of the two versions of a scripted video-vignette of a bad news consultation in which clinician's communication differed: standard vs. affective communication. Participants' skin conductance levels were obtained during video-watching, and afterwards their recall was assessed.RESULTS: While the diagnosis increased skin conductance levels in all analogue patients, skin conductance levels during the remainder of the consultation decreased more in the affective communication condition than in the standard condition. Analogue patients' recall was significantly higher in the affective condition.CONCLUSION: Breaking bad news evokes physiological arousal. Affective communication can decrease this evoked physiological arousal and might be partly responsible for analogue patients' enhanced information recall.PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Although our findings need to be translated to clinical patients, they suggest that clinicians need to deal with patients' emotions before providing additional medical information.

KW - Adult

KW - Affect

KW - Aged

KW - Arousal

KW - Breast Neoplasms

KW - Communication

KW - Empathy

KW - Female

KW - Galvanic Skin Response

KW - Humans

KW - Mental Recall

KW - Middle Aged

KW - Patient Simulation

KW - Physician-Patient Relations

KW - Psychophysiology

KW - Referral and Consultation

KW - Truth Disclosure

KW - Videotape Recording

U2 - 10.1016/j.pec.2013.12.022

DO - 10.1016/j.pec.2013.12.022

M3 - Article

C2 - 24485947

SN - 0738-3991

VL - 95

SP - 45

EP - 52

JO - Patient Education and Counseling

JF - Patient Education and Counseling

IS - 1

ER -

Sep MSC, van Osch M, van Vliet LM, Smets EMA, Bensing JM. The power of clinicians' affective communication: how reassurance about non-abandonment can reduce patients' physiological arousal and increase information recall in bad news consultations. An experimental study using analogue patients. Patient Education and Counseling. 2014 Apr;95(1):45-52. doi: 10.1016/j.pec.2013.12.022