Patient Education Miscommunications: Part II

The More a Provider Dominates the Conversation, the Worse a Patient's Recall Is:

Previous research has analyzed "verbal dominance," a term used to describe the ratio of provider speech to patient speech during the critical, decision-making parts of visits. Researchers found that a higher ratio of doctor-to-patient talk was significantly associated with poorer patient recall of medical and behavioral recommendations. In the discussions that mattered most, those about decisions and next steps, in research, providers make 2.3 to 2.5 times more utterances than their patients (i.e. they talk more and say more words.)

This finding is critical because it changes the patient’s role during the appointment. Your voice isn't just a courtesy; it's a cognitive tool. Meaning, that using your voice is a large part of how your brain retains information. Actively participating, by asking questions and summarizing what you hear, is not an interruption to the provider but a necessary part of making information memorable. When something is memorable, you can recall it more easily. While everyone has their own learning style, and some need to write down information to retain it, summarizing out loud and having the ability to share what you understood the provider to say, is crucial.

You want to be able to ask questions to make sure that their words, match your level of understanding, especially when it comes to diet, activity, and doing things that you enjoy every day. While your provider may know part of you, they don’t know all of you, and what you do all the time. And, sharing this information with our family, caretakers, and loved ones accurately is really important, because once you leave that appointment, it can be very hard to get in touch with your provider in a timely manner.