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Running head: CULTURAL COMPETENCY & PHYSICIAN-PATIENT COMMUNICATION
Physician-Patient Communication:
A Dyadic Approach to Cultural Competence and Patient Satisfaction
Max J. Smith
Arizona State University
PHYSICIAN-PATIENT COMMUNICATION AND CULTURAL COMPETENCE 2
Abstract
The dyad between Doctors and Patients, as it applies to patient satisfaction, has been a
long discussed topic in the field of both communication and medicine. Much speculation has
been made as to what affects patient satisfaction in the psychology of the physician-patient dyad,
and to what correlative degree. As global communities mobilize in greater breadth and depth
each day, the ‘face’ of outpatients is becoming more culturally diverse. Attributable to
globalization, more and more scholars speculate cultural competency/awareness of physicians
may affect the satisfaction of their patients. The following proposal aims to locate a correlation
between a physician’s cultural competency, as perceived by patients, and a patient’s satisfaction.
First, the proposal properly addresses the imminent need for cultural competency in a patient-
physician dyad. Using standpoint theory as a framework, the proposal continues with a synthesis
of literature on cultural assimilation between patients and doctors and its effects on the patient
satisfaction. The literature displays the gap in research regarding cultural competency and its
effects on patient satisfaction. After this review, the proposal moves to a methodological analysis
of how to sample, measure, and evaluate the correlation between perceived cultural competency
(of physicians) and patient satisfaction, proposing to administer a post-test survey accruing 200
participants from a major hospital near the Southwestern United States. The data is projected to
help provide a focus for the research question (RQ1), does a physicians cultural
awareness/competency, as perceived by patients, correlate to patient satisfaction within the
physician-patient dyad?
Arizona State University – Hugh Downs School of Communication – Smith
PHYSICIAN-PATIENT COMMUNICATION AND CULTURAL COMPETENCE 3
Physician-Patient Communication:
A Dyadic Approach to Cultural Competence and Patient Satisfaction
According to Seedhouse, “Patient satisfaction and well-being is a maxim of all healthcare
models, global or individual” (p. 121); patient satisfaction, is a model of measuring how a person
in a given medical in-patient/out-patient situation rated the comfort of their experience. Crucial
to this satisfaction in the western model or biomedical model of healthcare is the communication
between physicians and their patients (physician-patient, patient-physician, doctor-patient,
patient-doctor, etc.). This communication is vital in the diagnosis and preventing of disease, as it
makes up more than 73% of a patients total communicative visit (Zayts & Kang, 2010; Peskin,
&Weyrauch, 1995): meaning, if person goes to a clinical physician, almost 3/4s of his or her
time communicating will be spent with the doctor. Current research on the patient-doctor
relationship (within the scope of patient satisfaction) is focused on patient-doctor similarities
assimilations and time-elapse proxemics. With the changing global landscape attention to culture
in the patient-doctor relationship may prove informative (Dutta, 2008). In order to do so
however, a link to a doctor’s cultural competency and a patients satisfaction must be noted, this
study proposes to do such. The role of this examination is to discuss the doctor-patient
relationship by examining the doctor’s cultural competency, as perceived by the patient, and its
correlation to a patient satisfaction. Planning to do so by, providing a background of doctor-
patient communication and its influence on patient satisfaction. In addition, this study will also
address possible implications to perceived cultural competence and patient satisfaction.
Prior to discussing the research regarding doctor-patient communication, the importance
of patient satisfaction and the physician-patient relationship in regards to cultural sensitivity must
be noted.
Arizona State University – Hugh Downs School of Communication – Smith
PHYSICIAN-PATIENT COMMUNICATION AND CULTURAL COMPETENCE 4
Globalization, or the process by which autonomous economies, societies, and cultures
become integrated through a global network, makes for the greater displacement of regional
communities worldwide; allowing a greater diversity of culture and gender to spread worldwide
than ever before (Dutta, 2008). As the global landscape changes, becoming more culturally
conglomerate, some critical academics speculate the biomedical model cannot accommodate
patients culturally, from a doctor-patient perspective (Dutta, 2008; Zayts & Kang, 2010; Peskin,
& Weyrauch, 1995). The biomedical model of healthcare is the most widely used form of
nationalized healthcare in the world (Rees, Knight, & Wilkinson, 2009). This model of
Healthcare subscribes to the Hippocratic view of disease as a biological problem with aims of
patient treatment first and patient satisfaction second; the model itself ascribing to the belief that
patient satisfaction is rooted in biology, not holism. It encompasses the norms and regulations
which medical professionals are trained to ‘view-in’ and ‘perform under’ (Dutta, 2008). One of
these norms understood to impact patient satisfaction is the communicative process between a
physician and patient.
The doctor-patient relationship, rooted in the very early tenants of medical ethics, is
centralized around the Hippocratic Oath and the pillars of most Abrahamic religions (Dutta,
2008). This dyadic communication is pivotal in the diagnosis and prevention of disease (Dutta,
2008; Wood, 2005). The quality of communication between a patient and doctor plays a large
role in the overall health experience of a patient. For instance, a study conducted in Washington
State showed 40% of patients who expressed their doctors “used open ended questions,” also
stated their health experience was more satisfactory than those with physicians who “used
dominant conversation styles’- regardless of physical ailment (Ishikawa, Takayama, Yamazaki,
& Katsumata, 2002); compared to biological issues, the interpretation of doctor’s communication
Arizona State University – Hugh Downs School of Communication – Smith
PHYSICIAN-PATIENT COMMUNICATION AND CULTURAL COMPETENCE 5
plays a superlative role. In addition to this study, patients in a nationwide examination who were
victims of malpractice were a third less likely to sue their physician if their doctor had attended
two 7.5 hour communication-tactic seminars (Peskin, &Weyrauch, 1995); helping to reveal the
benefit for both doctors and patients through an increasingly communicative environment. In
specific, current communication research on the patient-doctor relationship shows factors linked
to doctor-patient parallels, which often correlate to patient satisfaction (Peskin &
Weyrauch,1995; Ishikawa, Takayama, Yamazaki, & Katsumata, 2002; Blanquicett, Amsbary,
Mills & Powell, 2007).
The following is a review of literature which shows how cultural doctors and patients
affect patient satisfaction. The first section reveals how cultural determinants (age, race, gender)
shared between doctors and patients increase patient satisfaction. The second section will frame
the findings of section using Stand-Point Theory in a pragmatic fashion. The review will
conclude with the cultural implications for the patient-doctor relationship and the proposal of a
research question connecting perceived cultural sensitivity to patient satisfaction.
Doctor-Patient Commonalities and Patient Satisfaction
In the doctor-patient relationship, similarities between a doctor and their patient have
shown to increase patient satisfaction in regards to age, race, and gender. For instance, patients
found within ten years of their doctor’s age resulted higher satisfaction in their medical visit as
compared to their patients who were not (Blanquicett, Amsbary, Mills & Powell, 2007; Bischoff,
Bovier & Hudelson, 2008). In a study of 400 participants which gauged patient-satisfaction in
relation to nonverbal factors, those between 40-49 (%) and 50-59 (%) with a doctor within a
decade of their age were 30 (%) more likely to rate their medical experience a (7+ /10, ten likert-
type scaling). In a similar study patients under 45 years of age seeking psychiatric help were
Arizona State University – Hugh Downs School of Communication – Smith
PHYSICIAN-PATIENT COMMUNICATION AND CULTURAL COMPETENCE 6
found to be more satisfied with their care if their physician was also under 45 (Blanquicett,
Amsbary, Mills & Powell, 2007; Jagadeesan, Kalyan, Lee, Stinnett, & Challa, 2008). On top of
age, patients who also share racial similarities with their physician have a greater satisfaction
than those who do not. In a recent study regarding cancer oncology, ethnic concerns, and patient
satisfaction; patients with cancer “who shared, or appeared to share” racial or ethnic backgrounds
were more likely to be satisfied than those of a doctor with a different ethnic background (Jean-
Pierre, Fiscella, Griggs, Joseph, Morrow, & Carroll, 2010). The study explained more simply
that Caucasian patients experienced higher satisfaction if their doctor was Caucasian and
African-American patients experienced greater satisfaction if their doctor was African-American
(Jean-Pierre et al., 2010). In 2001, a survey was administered to 2000 Mexican-nationals near the
border of Arizona and Mexico to show patient comfort in relation to the ethnic backgrounds of
physicians and their staffs. The results showed that clinics that employed more Mexican-
American doctors had higher rates of outpatient satisfaction than their counterparts who did not
(Rees, Knight, & Wilkinson, 2009; Clucas & St. Claire, 2008). In addition to race, similarities in
gender between doctors and patients have had an effect on the patient-doctor relationship. In a
1992 Schneider and Tucker performed a study on the relational effects of interpersonal
communication in physician-patient satisfaction (p.10). In Alabama, a similar study was done in
which patient’s satisfaction was interpreted via video playback by randomized participants
(Blanquicett, Amsbary, Mills & Powell, 2007). In both the studies, male patients were found to
experience more satisfaction if they were attended by a male physician; the same microcosm
applies to women as in both studies more than half of women preferred a female physician to a
male physician (Schneider, & Tucker, 1992; Zayts, & Kang, 2010).
Arizona State University – Hugh Downs School of Communication – Smith
PHYSICIAN-PATIENT COMMUNICATION AND CULTURAL COMPETENCE 7
Rooted in critical and feminist theory, Standpoint Theory, states that the social positions
in which a person stands provides the vantage point from where he or she experiences the world;
social positions include race, age gender, nationality, sexuality or disability. It’s through these
social lenses in which people experience the world, a standpoint (Pawloski, 2006). Furthermore,
standpoint theory states people with similar “standpoints” can share similar cultural experiences
autonomously. This theoretical idea, shared standpoints, provides a possible explanation for why
similarities between doctors and patients foster greater patient satisfaction. Patients and doctors,
as stated above, who share the similar age, race, or sex has a greater satisfaction rate as
outpatients than those of lesser or no similarity to their physician (Wood, 2005; Pawloski, 2006).
Based on standpoint theory all of the patients and doctors who share these similarities view the
world in a similar way, creating a shared experience amongst the dyad (age, race, sex), which
may provide leeway to greater patient satisfaction (as shared experiences can lead greater
communicative disclosure) (Wood, 2005: Pawloski, 2006). Cultural determinants, age, race and
sex, are highly correlated to patient satisfaction, however whether these implications apply to the
cultural competency of physicians yet to be shown (Dutta, 2008). Due to the ever increasing
globalized planet and limitations to the current research, the following question has been
fostered.
RQ1: Within the physician-patient dyad, does a physician’s cultural
awareness/competency, as perceived by patients, correlate to patient’s satisfaction?
Method
Participants
Participants involved will complete a post-test survey within 2 weeks of their physician
interaction. Participant post-tests will accrue for the period of a year, January 18, 2012 to January
Arizona State University – Hugh Downs School of Communication – Smith
PHYSICIAN-PATIENT COMMUNICATION AND CULTURAL COMPETENCE 8
18, 2013 to facilitate in acquiring data. Those participating will be (1) completely voluntary, (2)
informed of their anonymity, and (3) have information legally protected to the boundaries of this
research. In compliance with the Institutional Review Board at Arizona State University
(IRBASU) a copy will be submitted for the potential of academic publication.
Participant information will be gathered from a single source found in the central urban
Southwestern United States; a post-test survey will be administered to all out-patients in a major
hospital and medical facility with a sample aim of 200 participants. As other Communication
Research has shown voluntary purposive sampling has often equated to subpar results (Brach &
Fraserirector, 2000); therefore, to incentivize participants to respond, a menial medical tax will
be waived upon cooperation from the patient. The sampling method is categorized as both
voluntary and purposive as participants are chosen based on their interaction with a medical
physician and their participation being completely voluntary.
Criteria required for being a participant follows as such: Participants must be over 18
years of age and have recently taken part in an outpatient process facilitating the patient-
physician dyad. An intermediate comprehension of the English Language is also required:
approximately a 6th Grade level is necessary to complete the survey. Additionally, in compliance
with the American Hippocratic Association and the Federal Government, all participants must
also be in the United States legally and lawfully.
A single PT-group will provide data to evaluate a possible correlation between the
cultural competence of a physician and a patients satisfaction. Given the demographics of the
Southwestern United States, participant demographics should closely reflect the following:
Hispanic or Latino (40.8%), White (46.5%), Black or African American: (6.5%), Asian (3.0%),
Native American (1.7%), Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander (1.6%) and mixed-race
Arizona State University – Hugh Downs School of Communication – Smith
PHYSICIAN-PATIENT COMMUNICATION AND CULTURAL COMPETENCE 9
(0.2%) (USCB, 2010). Additionally, another potentially reflective is the male (52.8%) and
female (47.2%) demographics of the Southwest (UCSB, 2010). Since standpoint theory is rooted
in the cultural dynamics of the non-status-quo; to aid in efficacy, this research will focus on
those not of the status-quo, white men and women. Instead, the research will focus on different,
marginalized, (Hispanic, African American, Asian Native American, etc.) ethnicities honing
emphasis on a culture-centered-approach to patient satisfaction.
Procedures
To measure whether a patient’s satisfaction and a physician’s cultural competency are
correlated a post-test will be administered quantifying patient perceptions. To alleviate human
influence by the doctor the post-test will be administered by a non-physician Hospital-mediated
representative. Based on the scale developed by the Truman Medical Center and the UMKC
School of Medicine (TMC Survey) a likert-type 10-point scale will be used to evaluate cultural
competency. Similarly the patient’s satisfaction will also be quantified using a likert-type scale; a
one signifying “never,” a five signifying “moderate,” and a ten signifying “always.” Following a
patient-physician dyad, a survey (post-test) will accompany the patient home, in which he or she
will voluntarily finish the post-test and mail it to be collected (free-postage included). Following
data collection, a possible correlation will be evaluated using a Pearson’s ‘r’ Analysis to assess
the connection between perceived cultural competency and satisfaction in the doctor-patient
dyad.
Instrumentation
In order to provide data analyzing RQ1, Cultural Awareness, also known as Cultural
Competency, must be gauged. The likert-type scale developed by The Truman Medical Center
and the UMKC, known as the TMC, was chosen because of its adept ability to accurately address
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PHYSICIAN-PATIENT COMMUNICATION AND CULTURAL COMPETENCE 10
patients’ cultural perception of others (Hickman & Flores, 2000). The scale was originally
developed in 2000 to create a framework for non-medical physicians to help in addressing how
patients perceive the cultural penetrations tactics (e.g. “How often did your physician inquire
about age or age related ailments?,” How often did your physician inquire about your ethnicity or
ethnic-correlated ailments?”) (Hickman & Flores, 2000). The entire survey is composed of 32
questions aimed at addressing whether or not a participant perceives cultural competency in a
dyadic conversation. The first portion of the questionnaire provides a scope of the patients
cultural perceptions in regards to race, age, gender and standpoint (16 items, e.g. “How often did
you physician allude to gender based remedies?,” “How frequently was ethnicity discussed by
your physician in regards to your condition or reason of visit?”). The second portion discusses a
patient’s perception of his or her physician’s religious awareness (10 items, e.g. (“At what
frequency did your physician ask about religious/spiritual preference in regards to your ailment
of reason of visit?”) (Hickman & Flores, 2000). The final portion’s scope is in regards to patient
perception of a physician’s holistic awareness. (6 items e.g. “How often did your physician
provide alternative methods of medical care (i.e. behavior change)?” “How often did your
physician provide holistic approaches to health prosperity?”). The survey will be gauged on a
likert-type scale on a range from one to ten. “One” signifying “never,” alludes to a lower cultural
awareness score and thus lower perceived cultural competency; while “Ten” signifying
“always,” corresponds to higher perceived cultural awareness of physicians.
Measuring Cultural Competency via the Truman and UKMC post-test has proven both
reliable and valid. As prior studies have shown, Cronbach’s α (alpha) coefficients (>.93) were
achieved in studies regarding perceptions of cultural competency in labor workers, and Hispanics
(Cervantes, 2009; Cervantes, Duenas, Valdez, & Kaplan, 2011; Beach, Eboni, Tiffany, Karen,
Arizona State University – Hugh Downs School of Communication – Smith
PHYSICIAN-PATIENT COMMUNICATION AND CULTURAL COMPETENCE 11
Robinson, Palacio, Smarth, & Jenckes, 2005). The TMC has also been featured in labor seminars
and conference papers as a tool for increasing cultural awareness (Cervantes, 2009; Beach et al.,
2005).
Also vital to answering RQ1 is quantifying the satisfaction perceived by outpatients.
Patient Satisfaction is the self perception of an outpatient’s well-being after an outpatient
procedure. For the sake of this research, patient satisfaction will be refined to the communication
context between patient and physician. Doing so by using questions which disambiguate between
physical and mental health satisfactions (e.g. “How did your physician accommodate your
physical needs regarding your visit?” “How did your physician accommodate to your non-
physical needs?”). This disambiguation between satisfaction (mental and physical) is to rule out
satisfaction based on a biomedical cure and focus satisfaction on a cerebral and communicative
context. By limiting satisfaction due to medicine or medical treatment possible errors from such
are prevented.
Data Analytic Strategy
Based on researcher expectation, a correlation should be evident between patient
perceptions of cultural awareness and patient satisfaction. Because both variables, independent
and dependent, are ordered by an interval scale a Pearson’s ‘r’ correlation will be used to test
RQ1. In order to confirm a significant relationship, in accordance with the IRBASU, an ‘r’
(correlation coefficient) must reflect a strong correlation (positive or negative) between the two
variables, physician’s perceived cultural competency and patient satisfaction (-.95>r >.95).
Arizona State University – Hugh Downs School of Communication – Smith
PHYSICIAN-PATIENT COMMUNICATION AND CULTURAL COMPETENCE 12
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