Gender, power, and non-verbal communication

Abstract

Both non-verbal communication and gender play an important role in the clinical encounter. They not only affect the impact of the diagnosis, but also patient outcomes such as satisfaction and appointment-keeping. Dominance or power asymmetries in the provider-patient interaction have been assumed to affect the relationship, but have rarely been studied. This chapter gives an overview of the empirical findings pertaining to non-verbal communication, gender, and power within the patient-clinician interaction; shows how gender, non-verbal communication, and power are intertwined; and offers guidance about communication skills training to help physicians and improve outcomes for cancer patients.