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Examining the context and helpfulness of family companion contributions to older adults’ primary care visits
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Examining the context and helpfulness of family companion contributions to older adults’ primary care visits

Jennifer L. Wolff, Yue Guan, Cynthia M. Boyd, Judith Vick, Halima Amjad, David L. Roth, Laura N. Gitlin and Debra L. Roter
Patient education and counseling, v 100(3), pp 487-494
Mar 2017
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2016.10.022
PMID: 27817986
Featured in Collection :   UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
url
https://europepmc.org/articles/pmc5350029View
Accepted (AM)Open Access (License Unspecified),  Open

Abstract

Family caregiver Patient-provider communication Physician office Primary health care
•Most family companion communication behaviors were directed at improving doctor understanding.•Companions were more active in visits of patients who relied on others to manage their health.•Companions were rated as more helpful by patients who prefer family involvement in decision-making.•Family participation and helpfulness in medical visits vary by patient factors. Older adults commonly involve family (broadly defined) in their care. We examined communication behaviors of family companions during older adults’ primary care visits, including whether these behaviors vary with respect to how older adults manage their health, preferences for involving family in medical decision-making, and ratings of companion helpfulness. Analysis of audio-taped primary care visits of older patients who were accompanied by a family companion (n=30 dyads) and linked patient surveys. Family companions predominantly facilitated doctor and patient information exchange. More than half of companion communication behaviors were directed at improving doctor understanding of the patient. Companions were more verbally active during visits of patients who delegated the management of their health to others than visits of patients who co-managed or self-managed their health. Companions were rated as more helpful by patients who preferred active involvement of family in medical decision-making. Family companion participation and helpfulness in primary care communication varies by patients’ preferences for involving family in medical decision-making and approach to manage their health. Research to examine the effects of clarifying patient and family companion expectations for primary care visits could inform strategies to improve the patient-centeredness of medical communication.

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48 citations in Web of Science
50 citations in Scopus

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UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This publication has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

#3 Good Health and Well-Being

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Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
Web of Science research areas
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary
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