Physicians’ opening questions and patients’ satisfaction

ObjectiveTo determine the association between the format of physicians’ opening questions that solicit patients’ presenting concerns and patients’ post-visit evaluations of (i.e., satisfaction with) the affective-relational dimension of physicians’ communication.MethodsVideotape and questionnaire data were collected from visits between 28 primary-care physicians and 142 adult patients with acute problems. Factor analysis resulted in three dependent variables derived from the 9-item Socioemotional Behavior subscale of the Medical Interview Satisfaction Scale.ResultsQuestion format was significantly, positively associated with patients’ evaluations of physicians’ listening (p = .028) and positive affective-relational communication (p = .046).ConclusionPatients desire opportunities to present concerns in their own time and terms regardless of how extensively they act on this opportunity.Practice implicationsVisits should be opened with general inquiries (e.g., What can I do for you today?) versus closed-ended requests for confirmation (e.g., Sore throat, huh?).