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Doctor-Patient Communication and Increasing Patient Adherence

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Behavioral Medicine

Abstract

This chapter forms the basis of any clinical encounter and is crucial for appreciating the humane interaction in clinical settings. After introducing a hypothetical case (as will all remaining chapters), it introduces the basic theory in doctor-patient communication. It then provides empirical examples of the effects of doctor-patient communication on patient outcomes. We then shift to the topic of patients’ adherence in medical care. We review methods for assessing adherence and then systematically review the factors affecting patients’ adherence from the perspective of disease, the patient, the clinician, and the treatment. After we learn about evidence for the effects of psychological interventions on patients’ adherence and lifestyle, we return to the hypothetical case and “treat” it better.

People don’t care how much you know, but they know how much you care. (T. Roosevelt).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. SCALab, University of Lille, Lille, France

    Yori Gidron

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  1. Yori Gidron
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Gidron, Y. (2019). Doctor-Patient Communication and Increasing Patient Adherence. In: Behavioral Medicine. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-18893-1_3

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