TY - JOUR
T1 - Higher BMI associated with shorter visits in male oncology patients
T2 - An exploratory analysis
AU - Tilburt, Jon C.
AU - O Byrne, Thomas
AU - Branda, Megan E.
AU - Phelan, Sean
N1 - Funding Information:
This study was supported by R01 AT006515 to Dr. Tilburt from the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The authors thank Kathleen Yost, PhD and Jeremiah Stout for reviewing a draft version of the manuscript. This publication was also made possible by CTSA grant number UL1 TR002377 from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), a component of NIH. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the NIH.
PY - 2019/12
Y1 - 2019/12
N2 - Objective: To determine the potential relationship between measures of patient-provider communication and patient body mass index (BMI) and gender in cancer care. Methods: We audio-recorded cancer patients’ communication with their clinicians in an academic medical oncology practice from 2012-2014. We coded audio-recordings with the Roter Interaction Analysis System. We then examined whether BMI was associated with patient centeredness, time with doctor, global affect, and patient self-reported communication quality. Univariate associations with BMI were assessed with Chi-square and Kruskal-Wallis tests. A cumulative logit model adjusted for patient and visit characteristics in a multivariable model. Results: We recorded 327 patient interactions with 37 clinicians. After adjusting for patient sex, and visit characteristics, visit length, patient-centeredness, global affect (patient or clinician) and satisfaction did not differ. However, higher BMI was associated with shorter visit length, and lower Negative Global Affect (p = 0.03 and p = 0.03, respectively) in men only. Conclusion: In this exploratory analysis, communication characteristics did not vary by patient BMI overall. However, in men, higher BMI was associated with shorter visit length and more negative affect. Those differences did not persist after adjusting for multiple comparisons. Practice Implications: Patient body size may contribute to clinical communication in cancer care, particularly for obese men.
AB - Objective: To determine the potential relationship between measures of patient-provider communication and patient body mass index (BMI) and gender in cancer care. Methods: We audio-recorded cancer patients’ communication with their clinicians in an academic medical oncology practice from 2012-2014. We coded audio-recordings with the Roter Interaction Analysis System. We then examined whether BMI was associated with patient centeredness, time with doctor, global affect, and patient self-reported communication quality. Univariate associations with BMI were assessed with Chi-square and Kruskal-Wallis tests. A cumulative logit model adjusted for patient and visit characteristics in a multivariable model. Results: We recorded 327 patient interactions with 37 clinicians. After adjusting for patient sex, and visit characteristics, visit length, patient-centeredness, global affect (patient or clinician) and satisfaction did not differ. However, higher BMI was associated with shorter visit length, and lower Negative Global Affect (p = 0.03 and p = 0.03, respectively) in men only. Conclusion: In this exploratory analysis, communication characteristics did not vary by patient BMI overall. However, in men, higher BMI was associated with shorter visit length and more negative affect. Those differences did not persist after adjusting for multiple comparisons. Practice Implications: Patient body size may contribute to clinical communication in cancer care, particularly for obese men.
KW - Patient-centeredness
KW - Patient-physician communication
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U2 - 10.1016/j.pec.2019.07.009
DO - 10.1016/j.pec.2019.07.009
M3 - Article
C2 - 31331706
AN - SCOPUS:85069586529
VL - 102
SP - 2353
EP - 2357
JO - Patient Education and Counseling
JF - Patient Education and Counseling
SN - 0738-3991
IS - 12
ER -