IMPACT OF A MEDICAL TEAM PROGRAM ON PATIENT EXPERIENCE IN CARDIOLOGY- FEASIBILITY STUDY

Abstract

Background. Patient-centered care (PCC) is a proposed style of healthcare that succinctly explores aspects of the biopsychosocial model by allowing the opportunity for patients to actively engage in their medical visit, forming a patient-provider relationship (PPR). Research confirmed the importance of the PPR but has not identified consistent means of improving this relationship. Provider self-disclosure (PSD) has varied efficacy on the PPR, depending on clinic setting with patients expressing greater benefit from PSD in the specialty setting of surgery as compared to a primary care setting. Harnessing provider biographies to convey information that patients want to know may be a strategy to standardize and elucidate effective practices of PPR in pursuit of the goals and benefits of PCC. It also remains to be seen whether biographies can provide a quick and simple way to heed the call of directives issued by the American College of Cardiology (2012) and improve PPR and PCC. Purpose. The purpose of the study was to examine the effect of provider biographical information on the perceptions of patient-centered care and the patient-provider relationship in a cardiology practice setting. Methods. The sample included 200 patients who attended their regularly scheduled medical appointment at a cardiology practice. Participants were randomized to receive either a biography about their provider (intervention) or about the medical institution (control). The mean age was 62.74 (SD = 14.04) and the mean Charlson Comorbidity Index was 3.87 (SD = 2.33). Demographics for the sample included individuals who identified as Black (N = 95, 47.5%), White (N = 89, 44.9%), Hispanic or Latino/a (N = 5, 2.5%), Asian (N = 1, 0.5%), middle Eastern (N = 2, 1%), and multiple racial (N = 3, 1.5%). Results. Acceptability of reading a one-page biography was high, with patients from both groups having read the biography. Patients who read biographical information about their providers perceived their providers as engaging in higher levels of patient-centered care behavior (M = 74.54, SD = 11.34; t(195) = 23.05, p = .003) as compared to the control (M = 69.83, SD = 15.28), having higher levels of relationship depth with their providers (M = 26.72, SD = 6.57; t(196) = 2.461, p = .015.) as compared to the control (M = 23.75, SD = 15.28), and were more likely to ask a question during their consult (X2 (1, N = 198) = 6.58, p = 0.01). Qualitative information was collected on what patients would like to know about their providers. Conclusion. Presenting patients with provider biographical information significantly improved perceptions of their provider’s patient-centered care behavior, perceptions of the provider-patient relationship, and were more engaged in their medical visit. This study offers a viable and low-cost method of improving patient-centered care with minimal provider burden that can be implemented at any clinic.