Evidence map›Paper›PMID 25986603›Full record

ArticleBMC medical education2015

Building bridges between doctors and patients: the design and pilot evaluation of a training session in argumentation for chronic pain experts.

Claudia Zanini, Piercarlo Sarzi-Puttini, Fabiola Atzeni, Manuela Di Franco, Sara Rubinelli

Abstract readEvaluation Study
In one paragraph

Article in BMC medical education, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Claudia ZaniniDepartment of Health Sciences and Health Policy, University of Lucerne and Swiss Paraplegic Research, Lucerne, Nottwil, Switzerland. claudia.zanini@paraplegie.ch.
Piercarlo Sarzi-PuttiniRheumatology Unit, L. Sacco University Hospital, Milan, Italy. sarzi.piercarlo@hsacco.it.
Fabiola AtzeniRheumatology Unit, L. Sacco University Hospital, Milan, Italy. atzenifabiola@hotmail.com.
Manuela Di FrancoDepartment of Internal Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy. Manuela.Difranco@uniroma1.it.
Sara RubinelliDepartment of Health Sciences and Health Policy, University of Lucerne and Swiss Paraplegic Research, Lucerne, Nottwil, Switzerland. sara.rubinelli@paraplegie.ch.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundShared decision-making requires doctors to be competent in exchanging views with patients to identify the appropriate course of action. In this paper we focus on the potential of a course in argumentation as a promising way to empower doctors in presenting their viewpoints and addressing those of patients. Argumentation is the communication process in which the speaker, through the use of reasons, aims to convince the interlocutor of the acceptability of a viewpoint. The value of argumentation skills for doctors has been addressed in the literature. Yet, there is no research on what a course on argumentation might look like. In this paper, we present the content and format of a training session in argumentation for doctors and discuss some insights gained from a pilot study that examined doctors' perceived strengths and limitations vis-à-vis this training.

methodsThe training session (eight hours) combined different aspects from prominent theories of argumentation and was designed to strengthen doctors' argumentative discussion skills. A convenient, self-selected sample of 17 doctors who were experts in the field of chronic pain participated in the training and evaluated it via a feedback form and semi-structured interviews.

resultsThe participants found that the training session gave a structure to types of communication they use to interact with their patients, and taught them techniques that can increase their effectiveness. Moreover, it provided tools to help address some of the challenges of modern doctor-patient interactions, including dealing with patients' unrealistic expectations and medically inaccurate beliefs, and reaching agreement when there are differences of opinion.

conclusionsThis study enriches the research in the field of medical education. In line with the findings of studies that explore the value of argumentation in different fields, argumentative discussion skills can be applied by doctors to express their views and to account for the views of patients without patronizing the interaction. In this paper, we provide a basis to reflect on the value of argumentation in enhancing patients' right to autonomy and self-determination in interactions with their doctors.

Indexed as

CommunicationCurriculumPhysician-Patient RelationsChronic PainEducation, Medical, ContinuingHumansPilot Projects

Identifiers

PMID25986603
PMCPMC4469318

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.