Article on Client Communication Behaviors Published in Patient Education and Counseling

The article "Client Communication Behaviors with Health Care Providers in Indonesia," co-authored by Paul Richardson, former QA Project Director of Operations Research, was published in the October issue of the journal Patient Education and Counseling.

The article addressed a study examining client participation in more than 1,200 family planning consultations in the East Java and Lampung provinces of Indonesia. Co-authors include Young Mi Kim and Adrienne Kols of the Johns Hopkins University Center for Communication Programs, Christine Bonnin of Catholic Relief Services, and Debra Roter of the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health.

According to the authors, research shows that family planning clients in developing countries generally play a passive role in consultations. This limited client participation can be caused by cultural norms, social distance between client and provider, and long-held medical conventions about doctor-patient relations. In Indonesia, local cultural norms include respect and conflict avoidance, which can hinder clients from freely voicing concern, disagreement, or confusion.

Research indicates patients participation in healthcare consultations is critical to their ability to manage chronic conditions, can improve the quality of decision-making, and increase their commitment to treatment.

Results of the study suggested that a combination of provider training and client education on key communication skills could increase client participation in healthcare consultations. Factors associated with client active communication were providers information giving, facilitative communication, expressions of negative emotion, and client educational level.

Patient Education and Counseling, an international journal, is for health promotion researchers, managers, and clinicians, including counselors, educators, providers, psychologists, and sociologists. The journal explores education and counseling in healthcare, provides a forum for research, and promotes the study of organizational issues in patient education, counseling, and health promotion services. For more information about the publication, visit the Patient Education and Counseling website at www.elsevier.com/locate/pateducou.

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