Bringing Time Into Physician Compliance-Gaining Research: Toward a Reinforcement Expectancy Theory of Strategy Effectiveness

Abstract

Enlisting patient compliance with long-term lifestyle changes is a significant problem facing health care professionals today. Communication between health care providers and patients is often cited as playing an integral role in adherence to medical prescriptions. However, there has been a dearth of research specifying the relationship between communication strategy usage over time and patient compliance. This article systematically integrates language expectancy and reinforcement principles to advance a propositional framework relating communication strategy usage and long-term patient compliance. Underlying the propositions is the argument that the messages that a physician chooses to communicate shape patients' communication reinforcement expectations and, in turn, motivate and guide patients' present and future actions. Finally, the article addresses a sequential method to test the propositions and offers suggestions for future investigations.