Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40037145›Full record

SynthesisPatient education and counseling2025

Systematic review of observational coding systems to assess patient-healthcare professional interactions.

Marij A Hillen, Kerri-Anne R Mitchell, Barbara C Schouten, John W Cyrus, Richard F Brown, Arwen H Pieterse

Abstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Patient education and counseling, 2025. 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

6 authors.

Marij A HillenDepartment of Medical Psychology, Amsterdam Public Health, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, the Netherlands. Electronic address: M.A.Hillen@amsterdamumc.nl.
Kerri-Anne R MitchellPublic Health Program, Austin College, Sherman, TX, USA.
Barbara C SchoutenUniversity of Amsterdam, Department of Communication, Amsterdam School of Communication Research/ASCoR, Center for Urban Mental Health, the Netherlands.
John W CyrusResearch and Education Librarian, Health Sciences Library, Virginia Commonwealth University, 509 N. 12th Street, Richmond, VA 23298, USA.
Richard F BrownDepartment of Health Behavior and Policy, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, USA.
Arwen H PieterseBiomedical Data Sciences, Leiden University Medical Center, the Netherlands; Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway.

Funding

Training Program in Cancer Prevention and Control and Cancer Health Equity (CPC-CHE)T32CA093423 · NCI · VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY · PI Bernard F Fuemmeler, Oxana G Palesh · 2018 to 2026
$3.0M
NCI NIH HHS T32 CA093423
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesSystematic coding is used to study interactions between patients and healthcare professionals from an independent observer perspective. Many coding systems are available, but an up-to-date overview is lacking. We aimed to: (1) provide a comprehensive overview of systems for systematic coding of patient-healthcare professional interactions; and describe their 2) general characteristics and development, and 3) validation and adaptation.

methodsWe systematically searched peer-reviewed empirical articles in five databases (Cochrane, Embase, PubMed/Medline, CINAHL, PsychINFO) using variations of the following keywords: (i) patient and/or other stakeholder, (ii) healthcare professional (iii), interactions in healthcare, (iv) coding tool, and (v) development and/or validation. All titles/abstracts and full-texts were screened independently and in duplicate. Additionally, coding systems were identified through an earlier review, an open-access research database, and a forward-reference search of all included coding systems up to that point. For all eligible systems, we extracted characteristics and psychometric properties.

resultsFrom a total of 6950 identified articles from literature databases, 188 full-text articles were screened. Thirty-five articles were included from additional sources. In total, we included 124 articles describing 98 coding systems. Systems were highly variable in terms of topic (e.g., patient-centered communication, shared decision making, behavior change counseling), clinical context (e.g., oncology, pediatrics, generic), rigor of development and reporting, coding complexity, and extent of psychometric testing. Inter-rater reliability was reported for most coding systems; only few were tested for other types of reliability or for validity.

conclusionsA plethora of coding systems are available, but more systematic reporting and psychometric testing are urgently needed to enhance evidence of validity. Testing may initially focus on the most relevant and broadly applicable coding systems. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: These results can aid researchers in selecting the most suitable coding system for their purposes. Researchers may consider using or adapting existing systems, before developing new coding systems.

Indexed as

Clinical CodingHealth PersonnelProfessional-Patient RelationsCommunicationHumansPsychometricsClinical consultationInteraction analysisObservational coding systemPatient-provider interactionPsychometric evaluationSystematic review

Identifiers

PMID40037145
PMCPMC13477582

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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.