Communicate with Elderly Patients in the Medical Visit: Doctors’ Service Experiences of a Regional Hospital in Taiwan

Abstract

This study explored doctors’ medical service experiences while communicating with elderly patients. In this qualitative study, the researchers conducted semi-structured interviews with 20 doctors from a regional hospital in Taiwan. The findings revealed that: (a) By providing medical service, doctors can collect patient information more effectively by inquiring about the patients in dialects and guiding the patients’ family members; (b) It is more feasible in medical service of health education to speak slower and louder, apply relatable metaphors or imagery, and reassure the patients’ level of comprehension; (c) Emotional communication behaviors such as listening, patience, care, and psychological support, are key to establishing doctor-patient trust; (d) Allowing caregivers to participate in the communication process will help to establish good partnerships, thereby promoting patient compliance and increasing treatment efficacies in the medical service. The results can serve as a reference for the government and medical units to design medical service training programs for enhancing doctor-patient communication.

Keywords:

• Medical service
• older adult education
• doctor-patient communication
• medical continuing education
• doctor-patient relationship

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Center for Innovative Research on Aging Society (CIRAS) from The Featured Areas Research Center Program within the framework of the Higher Education Sprout Project by Ministry of Education (MOE) in Taiwan.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).