Study Finds that Non-Verbal Communication Can Affect Medical Care

  • October 3, 2011
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  • Blog

According to a new study, our unspoken cues, such as subtle gestures and facial expressions, have an affect on health care. Researchers from the University of Michigan analyzed video recordings of routine check-ups, focusing in on non-verbal communication. Then they did follow-up interviews with the participants in the videos to see how the unspoken communication affected their experience.

On the patient side, many of the findings revolved around their level of comfort during an examination – was the doctor in a rush, was the doctor listening to them, etc. As for doctors, many of them admitted to intuitively putting together their patients’ verbal and non-verbal cues to reach a diagnosis.

“In the future, we hope this method of recording and reviewing these types of interactions can inform interventions designed to improve medical decision making” said senior author Dr. Michael Fetters.

Findings in this study are optimistic for patients with a language barrier. Although medical Interpreter services are a necessity, it is reassuring to see that, for the most part, unspoken cues can be accurately perceived by doctors.

To read the complete article from Heritage.com, please click here.

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Source: Heritage.com