ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the most significant issues, influences, and challenges of healthcare provider communication. It begins with a discussion of historical issues of healthcare provider communication, followed by an examination of patient-centered communication, one of the most common approaches to patient and provider interaction today. Communication is central to the study of healthcare providers because our relationships with providers create the foundation for our healthcare experience. Through interviews and focus groups, the researchers sought to better understand how patients decided whether to take medication on the basis of patient-centered communication with a provider. Surprisingly, healthcare providers and medical establishments are often equally unprepared to provide patients and caregivers with pertinent health-related information that is necessary for informed medical decision making.
