To accommodate, or not to accommodate: Exploring patient satisfaction with doctors’ accommodative behavior during the clinical encounter

Abstract

This study examined how patients’ perceptions of doctors’ accommodative behaviors impact patient satisfaction with the direct clinical encounter. We used Communication Accommodation Theory (CAT) as a theoretical framework to specifically explore and compare the level of patient satisfaction when patients viewed doctors employed communication accommodation goals and strategies that converge and diverge during the clinical encounter. A total of 306 patients in primary care clinics in Appalachian Ohio were surveyed using existing questionnaire and scale to measure their perceptions of doctors’ display of accommodative behavior and satisfaction with the direct clinical encounter. ANOVA tests did not find any difference among the items related to doctors’ communication accommodation goals and patient satisfaction with the direct clinical encounter. However, differences were found in the items related to doctors’ communication accommodation strategies that converge and diverge and patient satisfaction with the direct clinical encounter. These findings suggest that patient satisfaction with direct clinical encounter is subject to perceived levels of doctors’ use of CAT strategies of convergence and divergence. For instance, patients were less satisfied when doctors were perceived to use convergent CAT strategies. Patients were less satisfied when doctors were perceived to be too divergent or not at all. However, patients were more satisfied when doctors were perceived to diverge moderately. Implications are discussed for doctor–patient communication and patient satisfaction.

Keywords:

• Clinical encounter
• Communication accommodation
• Communication convergence and divergence
• Doctor–patient communication
• Nonverbal behavior
• Patient satisfaction
• Physician–patient relations
• Verbal behavior

Acknowledgements

We acknowledge the funding contributions of the American Cancer Society (ACS)/Ohio University Scripps College of Communication Partnership and the School of Communication Studies, Ohio University, USA, that made this study possible as part of a larger project which examined the role of cultural differences on health care receivers’ perceptions of health care providers’ cultural competence in health care interactions. We are grateful for the administrative and logistic support and invaluable encouragement we received from the American Cancer Society Ohio Division throughout the course of the project, and the Holzer Health Systems in Southeastern Ohio for support with data collection. We also thank all the participants in this study who took the time to share their experiences and perceptions with us. Finally, we thank the anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments on the manuscript.

Disclaimer statement

Contributors None.

Conflicts of interest There are no conflicts-of-interest.

Ethics approval Institutional Review Board approval has been obtained from Ohio University to conduct this study.

Additional information

Funding

This study is part of a larger project which examined the role of cultural differences on health care receivers’ perceptions of health care providers’ cultural competence in health care interactions that the American Cancer Society (ACS)/Ohio University Scripps College of Communication Partnership [grant number 020-3200-06010-GA0012118] and the School of Communication Studies, Ohio University, USA provided funding for.

Notes on contributors

Rukhsana Ahmed

Author information

Rukhsana Ahmed, PhD, is an Associate Professor, Department of Communication, University of Ottawa and Co-Director, Diversity and Equity Research Group (DERG), Faculty of Arts, University of Ottawa, Canada.

Benjamin R. Bates

Benjamin R. Bates, PhD, is the Barbara Geralds Schoonover Professor of Health Communication, School of Communication Studies, Ohio University, USA.