Healthwatch Medway want to hear the views of local people on how doctors communicate about diagnosis to improve the experiences of local healthcare.
Working with
THIS Institute, they are inviting the public to take part in an online study examining the effects that different types of communication from doctors might have on patients.
Healthwatch say doctor communication is an important part of healthcare, and that there are many ways in which a doctor might talk to a patient.
In this instance, they are particularly interested in communication surrounding diagnosis: When a doctor talks to a patient about what might be causing their symptoms.
How You can Take Part
Healthwatch advise anyone over the age of 18 and living in the UK can take part, as long as they are not a medical doctor or medical student.
Interested contributors should register
online at Thiscovery, the online research platform from THIS Institute, by creating an account and verifying their email address.
They will be asked to watch two short videos, which will show a doctor (played by an actor) talking to them, and then complete a survey. The whole activity should take up to 20 minutes.
THIS Institute say they are interested in how different communication styles impact a patient’s experiences and feelings and want to know what their preferences are for communicating a diagnosis.
Healthwatch say they are interested in everyone’s views whether they are currently receiving care or not and encourage people to share this resource with friends or family who might also be interested.
Healthwatch also say sharing your views will contribute to developing future research and education and ultimately improve patients’ experiences.
THIS Institute say the survey will be available until 28th February 2023.
More
information can be found at THIS Institute’s
dedicated website. You can also
contact Healthwatch Medway for more details.