Direct Observation and Coding of Physician—Patient Interactions

Communication is the glue that binds physicians and patients, establishing rapport, facilitating information exchange, and promoting patient education and counseling (Ong, de Haes, Hoos, & Lammes, 1995). Effective communication is not only a fundamental clinical skill but has been shown to enhance patient outcomes (Street, Makoul, Arora, & Epstein, 2009). For this reason, there has been growing interest in developing valid methods for describing communication in clinical settings. This chapter focuses on one such method, interaction analysis (IA), which entails the direct observation, systematic coding, and quantitative analysis of physician–patient interaction.