Background: The American College of Cardiology has called for greater emphasis on patient-centered care, but methods to accomplish this goal have not yet been elucidated, particularly in training settings. This study examined the effect of providing fellow biographical information versus medical clinic information on perceptions of patient-centered care, patient-provider relationships, and medical visit engagement in a large, rural-serving cardiology training clinic.
Methods: Participating patients were assigned to receive either a biography about their cardiology fellow provider or information about the clinic facility. Participants completed questionnaires assessing their perceptions of patient-centered care and their relationship with their provider following the clinic visit.
Results: Participants (N=198; mean (M) age 62.72; 47.5% Black; 54.5% male) who received biographies perceived fellows as engaging in significantly higher levels of patient-centered care behavior (M: 74.54 versus 69.83, respectively, P=0.003). Moreover, the provider biography group reported significantly greater relationship depth with their providers (M: 26.72 versus 23.75, respectively, P=0.015) compared with controls, and were more likely to ask a question during their visit (96.9% versus 87%, respectively).
Conclusions: Patients reported improved perceptions of patient-centered care and asked more questions when provided with fellow biographies. Biographical information about cardiology fellows may be a viable and low-cost method of improving perceptions of patient-centered care with minimal provider burden.
Keywords: patient engagement; patient‐centered care; patient‐provider relationship.