Dataset Information

Influence of patient characteristics on doctors' questioning and lifestyle advice for coronary heart disease: a UK/US video experiment.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Risk factors for coronary heart disease (CHD) vary with patient characteristics but we do not know how this influences doctors' questioning and advice giving.

Aims

To find out whether four patient characteristics - age (55 versus 75 years), sex, class, and race - influence primary care doctors' questioning style and advice giving in the United Kingdom (UK) and United States (US).

Design of study

A factorial experiment using video simulation of a patient consulting with CHD symptoms, designed to systematically alter their age, sex, class, and race.

Setting

Surrey, south east London and the West Midlands in the UK, and Massachusetts in the US.

Method

A stratified random sample of 128 general practitioners (GPs) in the UK and 128 primary care doctors in the US were shown video vignettes in their practices of patient consultations, and interviewed about patient management strategies.

Results

Sex and age influence doctors' questioning of patients presenting with CHD. Men are asked more questions overall, particularly about smoking and drinking. Middle-aged patients are asked more about their lifestyle. Advice about smoking is given to more men than women, and to more mid-life than older patients. Women doctors question patients about their lifestyle more often, and give more advice to patients about their diet.

Conclusion

Doctors' questioning strategies are influenced by patients' sex and age, suggesting that doctors may miss smoking- and alcohol-related factors among women and older patients with CHD. Doctors give more advice about smoking to men, despite sex equality in smoking prevalence. Therefore, doctors' information seeking and advice giving do not match known patient risk factors.

SUBMITTER: Arber S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1326068 | biostudies-literature | 2004 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Influence of patient characteristics on doctors' questioning and lifestyle advice for coronary heart disease: a UK/US video experiment.

Arber Sara S McKinlay John J Adams Ann A Marceau Lisa L Link Carol C O'Donnell Amy A

The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners 20040901 506

<h4>Background</h4>Risk factors for coronary heart disease (CHD) vary with patient characteristics but we do not know how this influences doctors' questioning and advice giving.<h4>Aims</h4>To find out whether four patient characteristics - age (55 versus 75 years), sex, class, and race - influence primary care doctors' questioning style and advice giving in the United Kingdom (UK) and United States (US).<h4>Design of study</h4>A factorial experiment using video simulation of a patient consultin ...[more]

PMID: 15353053

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Dataset Information

Influence of patient characteristics on doctors' questioning and lifestyle advice for coronary heart disease: a UK/US video experiment.

Background

Aims

Design of study

Setting

Method

Results

Conclusion

Publications

Influence of patient characteristics on doctors' questioning and lifestyle advice for coronary heart disease: a UK/US video experiment.

Similar Datasets

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