Effective communication between doctor and patient can have a decisive influence on the success of treatment. This important topic has now been examined from a medical perspective by students on the Health Sciences and Management degree programme.
This leaflet summarises a previous research project carried out by students in collaboration with AOK Hamburg/Rheinland, Prof. Dr Renner and Heike Holtappel. The central role of doctor-patient communication in the success of treatment has now been confirmed in a follow-up project.
What makes for a good doctor-patient conversation, and what difference can it make to the course of treatment? Students on the Master’s programme in Health Sciences and Management addressed this question as part of a research project, shifting their perspective from that of the patient to that of the treating doctors.
Following on from a previous project in which a leaflet had already been developed to help patients prepare for consultations, qualitative interviews were now conducted to examine the experiences and assessments of doctors.
The key finding: doctors also regard effective communication as a key factor in the success of treatment. At the same time, it became clear that there is still room for improvement in practice. The doctors interviewed confirmed that the leaflet, which had already been developed, is a helpful tool in their day-to-day practice.
The students’ project work was supervised by Prof. Dr Robert Renner, Professor of Health Promotion and Nutrition and Programme Director, and research assistant Heike Holtappel at the Faculty of Life Sciences – in close collaboration with the practice partner AOK Hamburg/Rheinland.
