Exploration of aspects of communication between doctors and patients in anamnesis, better prognosis and adherence to treatment: a systematic review

Abstract

Introduction: there is much talk about doctor-patient communication and its importance, but when is it really effective? For doctor-patient communication to be effective it must involve not only a biomedical vision, i.e. real medical knowledge, but much more than that, it requires a multidimensional vision, in an individualized and humanized way. From this perspective and taking into account the complexity that this represents, it is particularly important to analyze the elements involved in the medical consultation, as well as the impact they will have on the anamnesis and adherence to treatment on the part of the patients. The doctor-patient relationship represents a fundamental aspect in the process of health care, treatment of the disease and recovery of health, deserving special interest in establishing effects, such as adherence to treatments and therapies, aimed at restoring health. Through this established link, it is possible to achieve a better anamnesis, establishing an adequate and humanized behavior, which favors an effective diagnosis. However, the patient’s cooperation is necessary, communicating and expressing what he/she feels. Effective communication between physician and patient will lead to positive and satisfactory results for both parties. Method: an exhaustive electronic search of relevant literature on the factors involved in good patient-physician communication was performed through medical databases as well as reference search engines such as Pubmed, Cochrane, mesh broweser, Google Scholar, scielo, bireme. The following keywords and MeSH terms were used: “doctor patient relationship” “effective communication” “medical education”, “communication barriers”, “clinical skills” “empathy”. Randomized clinical trials, systematic reviews and meta-analyses were identified without considering publication status, reported results, last ten years of publication and with language restriction to English, Spanish and Portuguese. Results: 12 systematic review and meta-analysis papers published between 2015-2022, which met the established inclusion criteria, were included. Conclusions: Effective communication between physicians and patients plays a crucial role in promoting successful treatment and improving patient adherence. In addition, implementing communication training programs during medical school can help prepare future physicians to interact more effectively with patients.