PHysician Adaptation to Patients' Locus of Control and Congruence With Health Recommendations

Abstract

A randomized trial of physician adaptation strategies to patients' health locus of control was conducted to determine the impact of adaptation on physician-patient congruence with recommendations. Results suggest that there was no greater congruence between physician and patients when the physician was given specific adaptive instructions based on patient health locus of control scores; moreover, differences were not present with estimates of compliance. Correlations between patients' and the physician's estimates of likelihood of and commitment to patients following physician recommendations were higher in the control group, when the physician was following intuitive strategies.