ABSTRACT

A growing body of research on medical communication indicates that nonverbal rapport (e.g., smiling, eye contact, closer proximity) is central to productive health care delivery. However, mechanisms integral to the process by which nonverbal rapport influences health improvement remain under-researched. This study breaks new grounds in proposing and testing mediation pathways that take into account organizational factors. We conducted a cross-sectional survey in a private hospital in Singapore among 417 patients to examine their communication with physicians and nurses. Results indicated that nonverbal rapport did not have a significant direct relationship with perceived health outcome in both the patient-physician dyad and the patient-nurse dyad. Instead, communication satisfaction and organizational identity completely mediated this relationship. In addition, respect positively moderated the relationship between nonverbal rapport and communication satisfaction in both dyads, while health literacy was not a significant moderator. The findings suggest that the organizational context should be considered in pathways research.

摘要

越来越多的医疗交流研究表明，非语言融洽（例如，微笑、目光接触、更亲近）是高效医疗服务的核心。然而，非语言融洽影响健康改善的过程中不可或缺的机制仍未得到充分研究。这项研究在提出和测试考虑到组织因素的调解途径方面开辟了新天地。我们在新加坡的一家私立医院对 417 名患者进行了横断面调查，以检查他们与医生和护士的沟通情况。结果表明，非语言融洽与患者-医生二人组和患者-护士二人组的感知健康结果没有显着的直接关系。相反，沟通满意度和组织认同感完全调节了这种关系。此外，尊重积极调节非语言融洽和沟通满意度之间的关系，而健康素养不是重要的调节因素。研究结果表明，在路径研究中应考虑组织背景。