Examining the relationship between clinician communication and patient participatory behaviors in cardiology encounters.

<bold>Objectives: </bold>Examine the association of coder ratings of cardiologist behaviors and global scores of cardiologist communication style with patient participation in clinic encounters.<bold>Methods: </bold>We coded transcripts of clinic encounters for patient participatory behaviors: asking questions, assertive statements, and expressing negative emotions; clinician behavior counts: reflective statements, open-ended questions, empathic statements, and eliciting questions. We used general linear regression models to examine associations of mean number of patient participatory behaviors with clinician behaviors.<bold>Results: </bold>Our sample included 161 patients of 40 cardiologists. Patient female gender was associated with on average 2.1 (CI: 0.06, 4.1; p = 0.04) more patient participatory behaviors. In an adjusted model, clinician reflective statements were associated with on average 0.3 (CI: 0.04, 0.4; p = 0.02) more patient participatory behaviors. A clinician making at least one empathic statement was associated with on average 3.7 (CI: 0.2, 7.1; p = 0.04) more patient participatory behaviors.<bold>Conclusions: </bold>These results demonstrate that some individual clinician behaviors are associated with higher patient participation in cardiology encounters.<bold>Practice Implications: </bold>Clinician reflective and empathic statements may be important targets in communication training to increase patient participation.<bold>Section: </bold>Communication Studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]