Do women and men use language differently in spoken face-to-face interaction? A scoping review

Although the question of whether women and men speak differently is a topic of hot debate, an overview of the extent towhich empirical studies provide robust support for a relationship between sex/gender and language is lacking. Therefore, the aim of the current scoping review is to synthesize recent studies from various theoretical perspectives on the relationship between sex/gender and language use in spoken face-to-face dyadic interactions. Fifteen empirical studies were systematically selected for review, and were discussed according to four different theoretical perspectives and associated methodologies. More than thirty relevant linguistic variables were identified (e.g., interruptions and intensifiers). Overall, few robust differences between women and men in the use of linguistic variables were observed across contexts, although women seem to be more engaged in supportive turn-taking than men. Importantly, gender identity salience, institutionalized roles, and social and contextual factors such as interactional setting or conversational goal seem to play a key role in the relationship between speaker’s sex/gender and language used in spoken interaction

Manipulative therapy for infantile colid (protocol)

This is the protocol for a review and there is no abstract. The objectives are as follows:To evaluate the results of studies designed to address efficacy or effectiveness of manipulative therapies (specifically, chiropractic, osteopathy and cranial manipulation) for infantile colic in infants less than 6 months of age<br/

Neuropsychiatric symptoms and psychotropic drug use in patients with dementia in general practices

Background. Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) frequently occur in community-dwelling patients with dementia and they are also frequently prescribed psychotropic drugs. The prescription of psychotropic drugs has been found to be associated with the level of NPS. Data on NPS in patients with dementia in general practices are scarce. Objectives. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence rates of NPS and psychotropic drug use (PDU) in patients with dementia in general practices. Methods. We analyzed data from the baseline measurement of a prospective cohort study in a sample of (Dutch) patients in general practices. Prevalence rates of NPS and subsyndromes assessed with the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) and of PDU were calculated. Prevalence rates of individual NPS are presented both as clinically relevant symptoms (NPI symptom score = 4) and as prevalence rates of symptoms with symptom score > 0. Results. Of the 117 patients, more than 90% had at least one symptom and more than 65% had at least one clinically relevant symptom. The most common NPS were agitation/aggression, dysphoria/ depression and irritability/lability. The most common clinically relevant NPS were aberrant motor behaviour, agitation/aggression and apathy/indifference. Only 28.7% of the patients used at least one, 7.0% used at least two different and 1.7% used at least three different types of psychotropic drugs (excluding anti-dementia medication). Conclusions. NPS are highly prevalent in patients with dementia in general practices, but PDU is rather low. The most common clinically relevant NPS were aberrant motor behaviour, agitation/ aggression and apathy/indifference

Gender stereotyping in medical interaction: A Membership Categorization Analysis

Objective: Gender can be a valuable resource in communication but also a problem, perpetuating gender stereotypes. So far, there has been little attention for how healthcare professionals and patients make gender relevant in medical interactions. The approach of Membership Categorization Analysis (MCA) is particularly pertinent to meticulously analyze gender in medical communication. Applying MCA, this study analyzes how activity descriptions implicitly associated with gender stereotypes, e.g., “carrying a laundry basket up the stairs”, feature in the course of GPs’ explanations of a question or diagnosis. The aim is to provide a new perspective on the relationship between gender and medical interaction, and to increase our understanding of how gender stereotypes are reproduced in the medical setting.  Method: Two cases of GPs using gendered explanations in Dutch general practice interactions are analyzed turn-by-turn using MCA.  Results: The findings show how GPs’ descriptions of gendered activities serve the exemplification of technical terms, designed for the specific patient, while also casting the patient in a traditional gender role.  Conclusion: Invoking gender in medical interaction may serve a communicative goal while also perpetuating stereotypes.  Practice implications: Insight in the subtleties of gender construction in medical interactions could enhance gender awareness and sensitivity in healthcare

Which difficulties do GPs experience in consultations with patients with unexplained symptoms: a qualitative study

Background Many general practitioners (GPs) struggle with the communication with patients with medically unexplained symptoms (MUS). This study aims to identify GPs’ difficulties in communication during MUS consultations. Methods We video-recorded consultations and asked GPs immediately after the consultation whether MUS were presented. GPs and patients were then asked to reflect separately on the consultation in a semi-structured interview while watching the consultation. We selected the comments where GPs experienced difficulties or indicated they should have done something else and analysed these qualitatively according to the principles of constant comparative analysis. Next, we selected those video-recorded transcripts in which the patient also experienced difficulties; we analysed these to identify problems in the physician-patient communication. Results Twenty GPs participated, of whom two did not identify any MUS consultations. Eighteen GPs commented on 39 MUS consultations. In 11 consultations, GPs did not experience any difficulties. In the remaining 28 consultations, GPs provided 84 comments on 60 fragments where they experienced difficulties. We identified three issues for improvement in the GPs’ communication: psychosocial exploration, structure of the consultation (more attention to summaries, shared agenda setting) and person-centredness (more attention to the reason for the appointment, the patient’s story, the quality of the contact and sharing decisions). Analysis of the patients’ views on the fragments where the GP experienced difficulties showed that in the majority of these fragments (n = 42) the patients’ comments were positive. The video-recorded transcripts (n = 9) where the patient experienced problems too were characterised by the absence of a dialogue (the GP being engaged in exploring his/her own concepts, asking closed questions and interrupting the patient). Conclusion GPs were aware of the importance of good communication. According to them, they could improve their communication further by paying more attention to psychosocial exploration, the structure of the consultation and communicating in a more person-centred way. The transcripts where the patient experienced problems too, were characterised by an absence of dialogue (focussing on his/her own concept, asking closed questions and frequently interrupting the patient)

Reliability and validity of the Dutch version of the consultation and relational empathy measure in primary care

Background. Empathy is an essential skill in doctor–patient communication with positive effects on compliance, patient satisfaction and symptom duration. There are no validated patient-rated empathy measures available in Dutch. Objective. To investigate the validity and reliability of a Dutch version of the Consultation and Relational Empathy (CARE) Measure, a widely used 10-item patient-rated questionnaire of physician empathy. Methods. After translation and back translation, the Dutch CARE Measure was distributed among patients from 19 general practitioners in 5 primary care centers. Tests of internal reliability and validity included Cronbach’s alpha, item total correlations and factor analysis. Seven items of the QUality Of care Through the patient’s Eyes (QUOTE) questionnaire assessing ‘affective performance’ of the physician were included in factor analysis and used to investigate convergent validity. Results. Of the 800 distributed questionnaires, 655 (82%) were returned. Acceptability and face validity were supported by a low number of ‘does not apply’ responses (range 0.2%–11.9%). Internal reliability was high (Cronbach’s alpha 0.974). Corrected item total correlations were at a minimum of 0.837. Factor analysis on the 10 items of the CARE Measure and 7 QUOTE items resulted in two factors (Eigenvalue &gt; 1), the first containing the CARE Measure items and the second containing the QUOTE items. Convergent construct validity between the CARE Measure and QUOTE was confirmed with a modest positive correlation (r = 0.34, n = 654, P &lt; 0.001). Conclusion. The findings support the preliminary validity and reliability of the Dutch CARE Measure. Future research is required to investigate divergent validity and discriminant ability between doctors

Key items for reports of primary care research: An international Delphi study

Objective: Reporting guidelines can improve dissemination and application of findings and help avoid research waste. Recent studies reveal opportunities to improve primary care (PC) reporting. Despite increasing numbers of guidelines, none exists for PC research. This study aims to prioritize candidate reporting items to inform a reporting guideline for PC research.Design: Delphi study conducted by the CRISP (Consensus Reporting Items for Studies inPrimary Care) Working Group.Setting: International online survey.Participants: Inter-disciplinary PC researchers and research users.Main Outcome Measures: We drew potential reporting items from literature review and a series of international, interdisciplinary surveys. Using an anonymous, online survey, we asked participants to vote on and whether each candidate item should be included, required, or recommended in a PC research reporting guideline. Items advanced to the next Delphi round if they received >50% votes to include. Analysis used descriptive statistics plus synthesis of freetext responses.Results: 98/116 respondents completed Round 1 (84% response rate) and 89/98 completed Round 2 (91%). Respondents included a variety of healthcare professions, research roles, levels of experience, and all five world regions. Round 1 presented 29 potential items, and 25 moved into Round 2 after rewording and combining items and adding two new items. A majority of Round 2 respondents voted to include 23 items (90-100% for 11 items, 80-89% for three items,70-79% for three items, 60-69% for three items, and 50-59% for three items).Conclusion: Our Delphi study identified items to guide the reporting of PC research that has broad endorsement from the community of producers and users of PC research. We will now use these results to inform the final development of the CRISP guidance for reporting PC researc