Oncologists’ non-verbal behavior and analog patients’ recall of information

Abstract

Background Information in oncological consultations is often excessive. Those patients who better recall information are more satisfied, less anxious and more adherent. Optimal recall may be enhanced by the oncologist's non-verbal communication. We tested the influence of three nonverbal behaviors, i.e. eye contact, body posture and smiling, on patients' recall of information and perceived friendliness of the oncologist. Moreover, the influence of patient characteristics on recall was examined, both directly or as a moderator of non-verbal communication.Material and methods Non-verbal communication of an oncologist was experimentally varied using video vignettes. In total 194 breast cancer patients/survivors and healthy women participated as 'analog patients', viewing a randomly selected video version while imagining themselves in the role of the patient. Directly after viewing, they evaluated the oncologist. From 24 to 48 hours later, participants' passive recall, i.e. recognition, and free recall of information provided by the oncologist were assessed. Results Participants' recognition was higher if the oncologist maintained more consistent eye contact (b ¼ 0.17). More eye contact and smiling led to a perception of the oncologist as more friendly. Body posture and smiling did not significantly influence recall. Older age predicted significantly worse recognition (b ¼ À0.28) and free recall (b ¼ À0.34) of information. Conclusion Oncologists may be able to facilitate their patients' recall functioning through consistent eye contact. This seems particularly relevant for older patients, whose recall is significantly worse. These findings can be used in training, focused on how to maintain eye contact while managing computer tasks.

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“…Importantly, non-verbal communication can help recall information given in the consultation by the patient ( 51 ), which would improve therapy adherence and probably also reduce insecurity, fear, and anxiety in patients, and their relatives.…”

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“…Consistent with our study, Mast et al [ 16 ] reported that there was no correlation between looking at a patient’s chart and patient satisfaction. However, in several previous studies, frequent eye contact and less time reading the medical chart improved SP or real patient satisfaction and were associated with higher perceived friendliness and better information recognition [ 6 , 7 , 11 , 13 ]. The SPs of our study might have given more weight to facial expression than eye contact.…”

“…Patients are more satisfied with physicians attending to nonverbal behaviors: more eye contact, more leaning forward, more nodding and gestures, and closer interpersonal distance [ 6 ]. When an oncologist maintained more consistent eye contact, patients demonstrated better recall [ 7 ]. However, nonverbal communication is almost unavoidable and involuntary [ 8 ].…”

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“…Physician caring was operationalized based on Hillen et al [33] who developed, tested, and used doctors’ verbal expressions of caring in a scripted video vignette study to test the effect of caring on trust. These verbal utterances were modified to fit the hemato-oncology setting, based on feedback from the expert panel, the patients, screenwriter, and project group during script development.…”