Understanding health care communication preferences of veteran primary care users |
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Authors: | Sherri L Lavela Gordon Schectman Jeffrey Gering Sara M Locatelli Andrew Gawron Frances M Weaver |
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Institution: | Center for Management of Complex Chronic Care, Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA), Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital, Hines, IL, USA; Institute for Healthcare Studies, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA. |
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Abstract: | ObjectiveTo assess veterans’ health communication preferences (in-person, telephone, or electronic) for primary care needs and the impact of computer use on preferences.MethodsStructured patient interviews (n = 448). Bivariate analyses examined preferences for primary care by ‘infrequent’ vs. ‘regular’ computer users.ResultsOnly 54% were regular computer users, nearly all of whom had ever used the internet. ‘Telephone’ was preferred for 6 of 10 reasons (general medical questions, medication questions and refills, preventive care reminders, scheduling, and test results); although telephone was preferred by markedly fewer regular computer users. ‘In-person’ was preferred for new/ongoing conditions/symptoms, treatment instructions, and next care steps; these preferences were unaffected by computer use frequency. Among regular computer users, 1/3 preferred ‘electronic’ for preventive reminders (37%), test results (34%), and refills (32%).ConclusionFor most primary care needs, telephone communication was preferred, although by a greater proportion of infrequent vs. regular computer users. In-person communication was preferred for reasons that may require an exam or visual instructions. About 1/3 of regular computer users prefer electronic communication for routine needs, e.g., preventive reminders, test results, and refills.Practice implicationsThese findings can be used to plan patient-centered care that is aligned with veterans’ preferred health communication methods. |
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Keywords: | Communication preferences Primary care Patient–provider communication Patient participation |
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