The Nonphysician Clinician Experience: Attitudes Toward Communication and Collaborative Patient Care

20 COPYRIGHT 2013 BY PSI CHI, THE INTERNATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY IN PSYCHOLOGY (VOL. 18, NO. 1/ISSN 2164-8204) *Faculty mentor The patient-provider relationship has a strong impact in the field of medicine and the social sciences in terms of health outcomes, patient satisfaction, and treatment adherence (Ciechanowski, Katon, Russo, & Walker, 2001; Fox & Chelsa, 2008; Kim, Kim, & Boren, 2008; Wright et al., 2006). The patient-provider relationship can be defined as “a dynamic interactional process in which the patient and provider collaborate to carry out negotiated mutual goals in a shared partnership” (Kim et al., 2008, p. 85). Although this definition is ideal, it does not always occur due to time constraints (e.g., primary care setting) and lack of provider training in health communication (Wright et al., 2006). Minimal training in health communication, time pressures, and economic constraints in the area of managed care can inhibit a provider from engaging in a meaningful clinical relationship with their patients (Fox & Chelsa, 2008). The patientprovider relationship can influence numerous aspects of health care including health outcomes, chronic disease management, treatment adherence, patient satisfaction, and the possible delaying of needed care (Blanchard & Lurie, 2004; Fox & Chelsa, 2008). Matthias et al. (2010) examined patient-provider communication with chronic pain patients and found that patient-centered communication skills not only benefit the patient, but can also alleviate the strain and burden experienced by primary care providers. Stewart (1995) reviewed 21 randomized studies on physician communication and patient outcomes, and determined that providing information, fostering collaboration, and providing support led to improvements in patient outcomes concerning physical and emotional functioning, symptom reduction, and overall quality of life (Fox & Chelsa, 2008). The collaborative care model has also been linked to positive treatment outcomes (Lee, Mericle, Ayalon, & Arean, 2009; Williams, Unutzer, Lee, & Noël, 2009). Von Korff et al. (1997) describe the collaborative care model as having four components: (a) patient-defined problems along with provider-identified medical problems; (b) collaborative goal setting and treatment ABSTRACT. The collaborative care model and the patient-provider relationship are associated with encouraging treatment outcomes in medical settings. In order to ascertain if these variables intersected, the goal of this study was to examine the relationship between attitudes toward collaborative care and attitudes toward patient-provider communication in nonphysician clinician students. Sixty-one students currently enrolled in either physician assistant or nurse practitioner programs completed the Physician Belief Scale (PBS) and the Attitudes Toward Health Care Teams Scale (ATHCTS). We found that physician assistants (M = 85.6, SD = 7.6) have more positive attitudes toward collaborative care than nurse practit ioners (M = 82.1, SD = 10.9). These findings have important implications regarding the impact of interdisciplinary care on attitudes toward collaborative care and patient-provider communication. The Nonphysician Clinician Experience: Attitudes Toward Communication and Collaborative Patient Care