Patients’ need for information provision and perceived participation in decision making in doctor-patient consultation: Micro-cultural differences between French- and Italian-speaking Switzerland

• Patient involvement in doctor-patient consultation is a multidimensional concept ranging from patients’ needs for information provision to their participation in decision making.
• No micro-cultural differences exist in patients’ need for information provision between French- and Italian-speaking patients in Switzerland.
• Micro-cultural differences exist in participation in decision making between French- and Italian-speaking patients in Switzerland, with French-speaking patients reporting higher involvement.
• Patients’ need for information provision is positively related to psychological empowerment among French-speaking patients, and to trust in one’s doctor among Italian-speaking patients.
• Participation in decision making is positively related to trust among French-speaking patients, and to health-related knowledge among Italian-speaking patients.
• Micro-cultural background moderates the relationship between patients’ need for information provision and trust in one’s doctor, and between participation in decision making and health-related knowledge as well as trust in one’s doctor.

ObjectivesTo explore micro-cultural differences in patients’ need for information provision, perceived participation in decision making, and related concepts during the doctor-patient consultation between French- and Italian-speaking patients in Switzerland.MethodsIn 2012, 153 French- and 120 Italian-speaking patients with chronic low back pain (cLBP) were surveyed on their need for information provision, perceived participation in decision making, cLBP knowledge, psychological empowerment, and trust in their doctor. T-tests and regression analyses with interaction terms were performed.ResultsResults show that French- and Italian-speaking patients significantly differed in their participation in decision making, with French-speaking patients reporting higher involvement. Need for information provision was related to empowerment among French- and to trust among Italian-speaking patients. For participation in decision making, trust was the only related concept among French-, and cLBP knowledge among Italian-speaking patients. Significant interaction terms indicate a moderation of micro-cultural background.ConclusionFindings point towards differences in the relationships between individual patient characteristics (i.e. knowledge, empowerment) and relational doctor-patient characteristics (i.e. trust) and patients’ need for information provision and participation in decision making between French- and Italian-speaking patients in Switzerland.Practice implicationsDoctors should be aware of these differences when dealing with patients of different micro-cultural backgrounds.