Ethnicity, Social Class and the Primary Care Medical Visit: The Process of Provider-Patient Communication

Award Year: 2005	Investigator: M. Robin DiMatteo	Budget: $267,501	Categories: Patient Empowerment, Physician-Patient Relationship
Abstract: So much medical information delivered in the mass media - from public health campaigns to drug commercials - concludes by advising the audience to "talk to your doctor." Sounds simple enough, but in fact, research is beginning to suggest that doctor-patient communications can be highly variable, particularly when doctors and patients come from different socio-economic backgrounds. M. Robin DiMatteo, Ph.D. is especially interested in the communication breakdown that occurs when patients are from a disadvantaged background. Her project, Ethnicity, Social Class, and the Primary Care Medical Visit: The Process of Provider-Patient Communication, considers the extent of communication disparities and how they might affect health care outcomes. Dr. DiMatteo also examines whether training programs for physicians and patients can help close the communication gap and enhance physician-patient partnerships. Her project should produce new insights into the use of effective communication as a means of reducing disparities in the delivery of primary care.