The power of clinicians' affective communication: How reassurance about non-abandonment can reduce patients' physiological arousal and increase information recall in bad news consultations. An experimental study using analogue patients

Milou S C Sep; Mara van Osch; Liesbeth van Vliet; Ellen M A Smets; Jozien M Bensing

doi:10.1016/j.pec.2013.12.022

The power of clinicians' affective communication: How reassurance about non-abandonment can reduce patients' physiological arousal and increase information recall in bad news consultations. An experimental study using analogue patients

Milou S C Sep, Mara van Osch, Liesbeth van Vliet , Ellen M A Smets, Jozien M Bensing

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

97 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Objective
The diagnosis of incurable cancer may evoke physiological arousal in patients. Physiological arousal can negatively impact patients’ recall of information provided in the medical consultation. We aim to investigate whether clinicians’ affective communication during a bad news consultation will decrease patients’ physiological arousal and will improve recall.

Methods
Healthy women (N = 50), acting as analogue patients, were randomly assigned to watch one out of the two versions of a scripted video-vignette of a bad news consultation in which clinician's communication differed: standard vs. affective communication. Participants’ skin conductance levels were obtained during video-watching, and afterwards their recall was assessed.

Results
While the diagnosis increased skin conductance levels in all analogue patients, skin conductance levels during the remainder of the consultation decreased more in the affective communication condition than in the standard condition. Analogue patients’ recall was significantly higher in the affective condition.

Conclusion
Breaking bad news evokes physiological arousal. Affective communication can decrease this evoked physiological arousal and might be partly responsible for analogue patients’ enhanced information recall.

Original language	English
Article number	N/A
Pages (from-to)	45-52
Number of pages	8
Journal	Patient Education and Counseling
Volume	95
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2013.12.022
Publication status	E-pub ahead of print - Apr 2014

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10.1016/j.pec.2013.12.022

Cite this

Sep, M. S. C., van Osch, M., van Vliet , L., Smets, E. M. A., & Bensing, J. M. (2014). The power of clinicians' affective communication: How reassurance about non-abandonment can reduce patients' physiological arousal and increase information recall in bad news consultations. An experimental study using analogue patients. Patient Education and Counseling, 95(1), 45-52. Article N/A. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2013.12.022

Sep, Milou S C ; van Osch, Mara ; van Vliet , Liesbeth et al. / The power of clinicians' affective communication : How reassurance about non-abandonment can reduce patients' physiological arousal and increase information recall in bad news consultations. An experimental study using analogue patients. In: Patient Education and Counseling. 2014 ; Vol. 95, No. 1. pp. 45-52.

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title = "The power of clinicians' affective communication: How reassurance about non-abandonment can reduce patients' physiological arousal and increase information recall in bad news consultations. An experimental study using analogue patients",

abstract = "ObjectiveThe diagnosis of incurable cancer may evoke physiological arousal in patients. Physiological arousal can negatively impact patients{\textquoteright} recall of information provided in the medical consultation. We aim to investigate whether clinicians{\textquoteright} affective communication during a bad news consultation will decrease patients{\textquoteright} physiological arousal and will improve recall.MethodsHealthy women (N = 50), acting as analogue patients, were randomly assigned to watch one out of the two versions of a scripted video-vignette of a bad news consultation in which clinician's communication differed: standard vs. affective communication. Participants{\textquoteright} skin conductance levels were obtained during video-watching, and afterwards their recall was assessed.ResultsWhile the diagnosis increased skin conductance levels in all analogue patients, skin conductance levels during the remainder of the consultation decreased more in the affective communication condition than in the standard condition. Analogue patients{\textquoteright} recall was significantly higher in the affective condition.ConclusionBreaking bad news evokes physiological arousal. Affective communication can decrease this evoked physiological arousal and might be partly responsible for analogue patients{\textquoteright} enhanced information recall.",

author = "Sep, {Milou S C} and {van Osch}, Mara and {van Vliet}, Liesbeth and Smets, {Ellen M A} and Bensing, {Jozien M}",

year = "2014",

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doi = "10.1016/j.pec.2013.12.022",

language = "English",

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Sep, MSC, van Osch, M, van Vliet , L, Smets, EMA & Bensing, JM 2014, 'The power of clinicians' affective communication: How reassurance about non-abandonment can reduce patients' physiological arousal and increase information recall in bad news consultations. An experimental study using analogue patients', Patient Education and Counseling, vol. 95, no. 1, N/A, pp. 45-52. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2013.12.022

The power of clinicians' affective communication: How reassurance about non-abandonment can reduce patients' physiological arousal and increase information recall in bad news consultations. An experimental study using analogue patients. / Sep, Milou S C; van Osch, Mara; van Vliet , Liesbeth et al.
In: Patient Education and Counseling, Vol. 95, No. 1, N/A, 04.2014, p. 45-52.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

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T1 - The power of clinicians' affective communication

T2 - How reassurance about non-abandonment can reduce patients' physiological arousal and increase information recall in bad news consultations. An experimental study using analogue patients

AU - Sep, Milou S C

AU - van Osch, Mara

AU - van Vliet , Liesbeth

AU - Smets, Ellen M A

AU - Bensing, Jozien M

PY - 2014/4

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N2 - ObjectiveThe diagnosis of incurable cancer may evoke physiological arousal in patients. Physiological arousal can negatively impact patients’ recall of information provided in the medical consultation. We aim to investigate whether clinicians’ affective communication during a bad news consultation will decrease patients’ physiological arousal and will improve recall.MethodsHealthy women (N = 50), acting as analogue patients, were randomly assigned to watch one out of the two versions of a scripted video-vignette of a bad news consultation in which clinician's communication differed: standard vs. affective communication. Participants’ skin conductance levels were obtained during video-watching, and afterwards their recall was assessed.ResultsWhile the diagnosis increased skin conductance levels in all analogue patients, skin conductance levels during the remainder of the consultation decreased more in the affective communication condition than in the standard condition. Analogue patients’ recall was significantly higher in the affective condition.ConclusionBreaking bad news evokes physiological arousal. Affective communication can decrease this evoked physiological arousal and might be partly responsible for analogue patients’ enhanced information recall.

AB - ObjectiveThe diagnosis of incurable cancer may evoke physiological arousal in patients. Physiological arousal can negatively impact patients’ recall of information provided in the medical consultation. We aim to investigate whether clinicians’ affective communication during a bad news consultation will decrease patients’ physiological arousal and will improve recall.MethodsHealthy women (N = 50), acting as analogue patients, were randomly assigned to watch one out of the two versions of a scripted video-vignette of a bad news consultation in which clinician's communication differed: standard vs. affective communication. Participants’ skin conductance levels were obtained during video-watching, and afterwards their recall was assessed.ResultsWhile the diagnosis increased skin conductance levels in all analogue patients, skin conductance levels during the remainder of the consultation decreased more in the affective communication condition than in the standard condition. Analogue patients’ recall was significantly higher in the affective condition.ConclusionBreaking bad news evokes physiological arousal. Affective communication can decrease this evoked physiological arousal and might be partly responsible for analogue patients’ enhanced information recall.

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Sep MSC, van Osch M, van Vliet L, Smets EMA, Bensing JM. The power of clinicians' affective communication: How reassurance about non-abandonment can reduce patients' physiological arousal and increase information recall in bad news consultations. An experimental study using analogue patients. Patient Education and Counseling. 2014 Apr;95(1):45-52. N/A. Epub 2014 Apr. doi: 10.1016/j.pec.2013.12.022