Thesis (M.S. in Biomedical Informatics)--Vanderbilt University, Dec. 2007. / Title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.I.S.)--Oregon State University, 2008. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 100-106). Also available on the World Wide Web.

No description available.

No description available.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 1998. / Vol. 1 in two parts. Includes bibliographical references.

Submitted in accordance with the requirements for the Master’s Degree in Technology: Language Practice, Department of Media, Language and Communication, Durban University of Technology. Durban. South Africa, 2015. / The study focuses on the interpreting services provided during consultations in the medical setting. It looks broadly at the communication deficiencies created by the difference in the languages spoken by both medical practitioners and patients during consultations. Several times, the researcher’s personal experience has shown that isiZulu speaking patients are frequently consulted by English speaking doctors whenever they visit medical institutions. Consequently, as a result of this situation, these isiZulu speaking patients with limited English proficiency find it difficult to fully express all their medical conditions to the English speaking doctors and vice versa due to the existing language barriers. These language barriers are most likely to give rise to inferior medical assistance to isiZulu speaking patients. Furthermore, the nurses find themselves being ad hoc interpreters in this regard based on the assumption that they are bilingual. However, their linguistic and interpreting ability are not considered. The study therefore investigates the possible shortcomings and also looks at the implications most likely to occur as a result of reluctance to provide professional medical interpreting services. The data is collected from medical practitioners (doctors and nurses) and patients. From the results obtained, the researcher suggests possible recommendations in order to address the identified shortcomings. Lolu cwaningo lumayelana nokutolika ezikhungweni zezempilo. Lugxile ekubhekeni izinkinga zokuxhumna ngokolimi ngenxa yokwehluka kwezilimi ezikhulunywa abasebenzi bezempilo kanye neziguli uma zize ezikhungweni zezempilo. Umcwaningi usebone izikhawu eziningi ukuthi uma iziguli ezikhuluma ulimi lwesiZulu ziya ezikhungweni zezempilo zivame ukusizwa odokotela abakhuluma isiNgisi. Ngenxa yalesi simo , iziguli ezingasazi kahle isiNgisi ziyehluleka ukuchazela odokotela ngokuphelele izinkinga zazo zezempilo, kanjanlo nodokotela bayehluleka ukuxhumana kahle nazo. Lezi zinkinga zokuxhumana, zingaba nomthelela omubi wokuthi iziguli ezikhuluma isiZulu zingatholi usizo olugculisayo lwezempilo. Ngenxa yalesi simo, abahlengikazi bagcina bezithola sebengotolika ngenxa yokuthi kucatshangelwa ukuthi bayakwazi ukukhuluma izilimi zombili. Akube kusabhekwa ukuthi bazazi kangakanani izilimi lezo kanye nokuthi bayakwazi yini ukutolika. Ucwaningo lubheka izingqinamba ezikhona kanye nezingenzeka ngenxa yokungahlinzekwa ngokutolika okusezingeni elifanele ezikhungweni zezempilo futhi kungahlinzekwa abantu abaqeqeshiwe. Imininingwane yokwenza lolu cwaningo iqoqwe kubasebenzi bezempilo (odokotela kanye nabahlengikazi) kanye neziguli. Umcwaningi ube esenza izincomo ezingasiza ukuqeda izinkinga ezitholakele emuva kokuba esethole imiphumela.

This thesis examines the relationship between physician communication style and patient satisfaction in the diagnostic medical interview. Patient satisfaction is a critical issue for health care organizations today. Health care organizations are coping with the recruitment and maintenance of patient consumers in a competitive and costly market. The literature indicates that effective communication between the physician and the patient is important to patient satisfaction. The physician needs to structure the medical visit in order to acquire medical information and, at the same time, invite communication with patients to determine their concerns and needs. Patient satisfaction may ensue if the patient perceives the physician as possessing a positive communication style.

There is ample evidence that clinical communication skills deteriorate in medical students without specific training, but are improved by training. However, little is known about how well-equipped students are to communicate with patients on entering medical school, and there is limited evidence about whether all students improve with tuition in communication skills. This thesis describes a longitudinal study into these issues at the University of Otago�s Medical School. It was hypothesised that the majority of participants would demonstrate significant improvement in communication skills over their first two phases of specific tuition in communication. However, a small minority of participants were expected to fail to develop adequate skills in communication over this time, and the researcher wished to investigate whether any of the variables measured at baseline (demographic characteristics, personal qualities, academic abilities, and demonstrated interaction and interview observation skills) would predict those participants who developed superior communication skills, or who failed to demonstrate sufficient improvement by the end of eighteen months of medical education. Participants were 232 new entrants to the Otago Medical School programme, who were evaluated at three time points over the first eighteen months of their medical training. After completing a range of baseline measures (including a pre-training videotaped interview with a simulated patient role-played by an actor), participants completed two phases of communication skills training and, at the end of each phase, undertook a further videotaped interview. Interviews were marked by trained raters, using a novel assessment tool, the Brown-Peace Interview Marking Schedule, developed specifically for this purpose. Actors and participants themselves also evaluated each interview. Results showed that there was considerable variation in participants� abilities to perform the pre-training interview, indicating that the communication skills required in a clinical setting were not present in the majority of participants before training. Analysis of participant performance over time indicated that, while certain skills improved with training (e.g., receptive listening skills, non-verbal expression, and degree of structure in the interview) others did not improve significantly (e.g., responsiveness to the patient�s needs). As a group, participants benefited from the training, but a small sub-group of participants exhibited significant deficits in communication, even after two phases of communication skills training. It was easier to predict those participants who would develop superior communication skills than those who would continue to experience difficulties with simulated interviews. However, a small number of qualities (such as lack of familiarity with the English language, and high levels of personal qualities such as aloofness) were useful predictors of poor performance in the videotaped interviews. Further research could clarify whether the same personal qualities influence student performance in later interviews, once students have had more experiential training and opportunities to practise interviewing in a range of settings. In terms of the practical implications of the research findings, a number of issues are highlighted, such as the range of skills required of those who teach and evaluate communication skills. Recommendations are made regarding the timing, content and implementation of communication skills training for medical students.

Bibliography: leaves 554-636. / 637 leaves ; / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Examines aspects of teaching medical students communication skills at a time when they are entering their clinical years. Integrates reports of 12 data-gathering exercises centred on medical student communication skills with the international literature, and with the author's reflections as an experienced educator and G.P. Recommends that communication skills training in a general practice setting should be a crucial factor in all future training of medical students. / Thesis (M.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Psychiatry, 2000

The study investigated whether physician communication adherence was similar between adult and older adult female patients in a family medicine setting. Additionally, the study investigated whether or not the level of communication adherence was related to patient perceptions of working alliance. Previous research has failed to adequately examine age as a variable in physician-patient communication and has neglected to examine the working alliance within the physician-patient relationship. The sample included 41 adult female, family medicine patients, who agreed to have their appointment with their physician videotaped. The videotaped encounters were coded by trained observers using the Behavioral Science Tape Review Checklist (BSTRC). Participants also completed the Working Alliance Inventory-Short Form (WAI-SF). Results from the study suggested that physician adherence to communication tasks did not vary significantly between adult patients and older adult patients. Further, results demonstrated that the combination of responses to the bond and tasks subscales of the WAI-SF significantly accounted for 16% of the variance in communication adherence. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services