Changing From The Physician-Patient To The Physician-Consumer Relationship: Examining Consumer Involvement In Medical Interactions

Are health care consumers involved in their healthcare? This study presents a measure that attempts to answer this question. Involvement has been conceptualized in several ways by several researchers across the communication discipline (e.g., Cegala, 1981; Cegala, Cegala, 1984; Cegala, 1989; Goffman, 1963; Parrot, 1995; Petty & Cacioppo, 1979; Petty, Cacioppo & Goldman, 1981; Villaume & Cegala, 1988). In this study, involvement is defined similary to Cegala (1981) as levels of attention in face-to-face interpersonal interaction between the consumer and physician. This study takes a general systems perspective in exploring patient involvement with the physician-consumer relationship by examining the objects, attributes, relationships, and the environment. Thompson (1986) states that involved consumers enjoy greater health than uninvolved consumers. The Consumer Involvement Scale (CIS) was developed to test consumers' involvement level when communicating with physicians in this study. The CIS measures four strategies identified by Thompson (1986) including consumers' question preparation, asking questions, listening, and stating expectations, in addition to discovering consumers overall feelings toward being involved in the decision making process. The scale showed an overall reported reliability of .71. Overall, the participants (N_=300) in this sample reported being moderately involved (M_=4.70,S_D_=.71).

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts in Communication

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Communication

Year

2001

Author dc:creator

• Quick, Brian

Contributors dc:contributor

• Kelly McNeilis

• Communication

Statement dc:rights

• © Brian Quick

Repository record dc:identifier

https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/theses/1030

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:bearworks.missouristate.edu:theses-2031