Treatment recommendations to parents during pediatric tonsillectomy consultations: A mixed methods analysis of surgeon language.

OBJECTIVE: A deeper understanding of the dialogue clinicians use to relay treatment recommendations is needed to fully understand their influence on patient decisions about surgery. We characterize how otolaryngologists provide treatment recommendations and suggest a classification framework. METHODS: We qualitatively analyzed surgeon recommendations from 55 encounters between otolaryngologists and parents of children evaluated for tonsillectomy, and classified recommendation types by phrasing. Multilevel logistic regression identified predictors of recommendation phrasing. RESULTS: Clinicians provided 183 recommendations (mean/visit = 3.3). We identified four domains of recommendation-phrasing (direct, passive, acceptable, parent-oriented). Direct recommendations (n = 68, 37%) included presumptive statements phrasing intentions as inevitable. Passive recommendations (n = 65, 36%) included practice-based recommendations utilizing general statements. Acceptable recommendations (n = 29, 16%) included speaking positively about treatment options. Parent-oriented recommendations (n = 21, 11%) included parent choice statements. Clinicians more commonly made direct recommendations to parents who were racial minorities (OR = 2.7, p = .02, 95% CI [1.7, 5.9]) or had an annual income <$50,000 (OR = 2.2, p = .03, 95% CI [1.1, 4.4]). CONCLUSION: Clinicians provide treatment recommendations in a variety of ways that may introduce more or less certainty and choice to parental treatment decisions. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Findings may be implemented into training which increases clinician awareness of dialogue use when recommending treatment alternatives to patients.

Evaluating provider communication in pediatric chronic kidney disease care using a global coding system.

OBJECTIVE: Among adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with chronic illness, effective provider communication is essential for patient-centered care during a sensitive developmental period. However, communication in chronic illness care for AYAs is not well studied. Our objectives were to describe the provider communication skills in pediatric chronic kidney disease (CKD) care visits; and determine if communication skills differ by AYA characteristics. METHODS: We adapted a global consultation rating system for pediatric subspecialty care using audiotaped clinic encounters of 18 pediatric nephrologists with 99 AYAs (age M(SD) = 14.9(2.6)) with CKD stages 1-5 and 96 caregivers. We hypothesized that provider communication skills would differ by AYA characteristics (age, gender, and race). RESULTS: The strongest provider skills included initiating the session and developing rapport; lowest rated skills were asking patient's perspective and checking understanding. Communication scores did not consistently differ by AYA age or race, but were rated higher with female AYAs in several domains (ps<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Pediatric providers generally had adequate or good communication scores with AYAs, but improvement in certain skills, particularly with male AYAs, may further support patient-centered care. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: To achieve consistent, patient-centered communication with AYAs, an observation-based global assessment may identify areas for provider improvement.

Parental role in decision-making for pediatric surgery: Perceptions of involvement in consultations for tonsillectomy.

OBJECTIVE: Parental role in decision-making has implications for quality of care. We describe roles of parent participation in decision-making for tonsillectomy. METHODS: Parents reported preferred role in decision-making before consultations for tonsillectomy and the role they experienced after their consult. Parents completed questionnaires, including items evaluating clinician/parent communication. Clinicians rated perception of parents' preferred role in decision-making. Congruence between parent and clinician responses was evaluated via kappa analysis. Logistic regression identified associations between decision-making roles and socioemotional and communication factors. RESULTS: Consults between 63 parents and 8 otolaryngologists were analyzed.There was inadequate agreement between clinician and parent ratings of preferred roles (37%, p = 0.6, 95% CI [-0.09, 0.001]). Parents perceived greater involvement when clinicians discussed reasons to have (OR = 4.3, p = 0.03) or not have (OR = 4.1, p = 0.005) surgery. Parents perceived less involvement when clinicians used jargon (OR = 0.1, p = 0.03), and when parents trusted clinicians (OR = 0.4, p = 0.049), or experienced greater decisional conflict (OR = 0.9, p = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Parents and clinicians perceived parental preference for decision-making involvement differently during consultations for tonsillectomy. Clinician information-sharing, jargon use, and parent trust in clinician predicted extent of perceived engagement. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Findings may enhance understanding of strategies to effectively communicate and engage parents in shared decision-making for pediatric surgical care.

An expanded framework to define and measure shared decision-making in dialogue: A 'top-down' and 'bottom-up' approach.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to develop a comprehensive, descriptive framework to measure shared decision making (SDM) in clinical encounters. METHODS: We combined a top-down (theoretical) approach with a bottom-up approach based on audio-recorded dialogue to identify all communication processes related to decision making. We coded 55 pediatric otolaryngology visits using the framework and report interrater reliability. RESULTS: We identified 14 clinician behaviors and 5 patient behaviors that have not been previously described, and developed a new SDM framework that is descriptive (what does happen) rather than normative (what should happen). Through the bottom-up approach we identified three broad domains not present in other SDM frameworks: socioemotional support, understandability of clinician dialogue, and recommendation-giving. We also specify the ways in which decision-making roles are assumed implicitly rather than discussed explicitly. Interrater reliability was >75% for 92% of the coded behaviors. CONCLUSION/PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: This SDM framework allows for a more expansive understanding and analysis of how decision making takes place in clinical encounters, including new domains and behaviors not present in existing measures. We hope that this new framework will bring attention to a broader conception of SDM and allow researchers to further explore the new domains and behaviors identified.

How does decision complexity affect shared decision making? An analysis of patient-provider antiretroviral initiation dialogue.

OBJECTIVES: This study analyzed patient-provider dialogue regarding anti-retroviral therapy (ART) initiation, assessing the degree to which shared decision making (SDM) occurred. METHODS: We analyzed 24 audio-recorded dialogues between 14 HIV providers and their patients regarding ART initiation. We coded transcribed dialogues for seven SDM elements. We stratified dialogues into three levels of decision complexity (basic, intermediate, complex) based on patient CD4 counts and evaluated SDM criteria fulfillment at each level of decision complexity. RESULTS: There were five basic, twelve intermediate, and seven complex decisions in our sample. While only two met the defined criteria for SDM, the mean number of SDM elements present increased with each level of decision complexity. Discussion of the clinical issue requiring the decision occurred most frequently (88%), while discussion of pros/cons (13%), patient's understanding (21%), and decision alternatives (29%) occurred least frequently. CONCLUSION/PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: While few dialogues met the defined SDM criteria, providers are having conversations that respond to decision complexity. Clinicians should be aware that discussion of pros/cons, alternatives, and uncertainties are frequently skipped, even when these elements are clearly relevant, as in complex decisions. In addition, rhetorical questions to assess patient preferences and understanding are insufficient to fully engage patients in SDM.

Assessing Problematic Substance Use in HIV Care: Which Questions Elicit Accurate Patient Disclosures?

BACKGROUND: Substance use is associated with higher rates of antiretroviral non-adherence and poor HIV outcomes. This study examined how HIV care providers assess substance use, and which questions elicit accurate patient disclosures. METHODS: We conducted a conversation analysis of audio-recorded encounters between 56 providers and 162 patients living with HIV (PLWH) reporting active substance use in post-encounter interviews (cocaine or heroin use in the past 30 days, > 4 days intoxicated in past 30 days, or AUDIT score ≥ 8). We assessed the frequency of substance use discussion, characterized the types of questions used by providers, and determined the frequency of accurate patient disclosure by question type. RESULTS: In 55 reports of active substance use, providers already knew about the use (n = 16) or patients disclosed unpromptednn = 39). Among the remaining 155 instances of substance use in which providers had the opportunity to elicit disclosure, 78 reports (50 %) of substance use were not discussed. Of the remaining 77 reports in which the provider asked about substance use, 55 (71 %) patients disclosed and 22 (29 %) did not disclose. Questions were classified as: open-ended (n = 18, "How's the drinking going?"); normalizing (n = 14, "When was the last time you used?"); closed-ended (n = 36, "Have you used any cocaine?"); leading towards non-use (n = 9, "Have you been clean?"). Accurate disclosure followed 100 % of open-ended and normalizing questions, 58 % of closed-ended questions, and 22 % of leading questions. After adjusting for drug type, closed-ended questions were 41 % less likely (p < 0.001), and 'leading' questions 78 % less likely (p = 0.016) than broad and normalizing questions to elicit disclosures. CONCLUSION: Providers in this sample missed almost half of the opportunities to identify and discuss substance use with PLWH. Providers can increase the probability of patient disclosure by using open-ended or normalizing questions that ask about the "last time" that the patient used drugs or alcohol.

Which Clinician Questions Elicit Accurate Disclosure of Antiretroviral Non-adherence When Talking to Patients?

This study evaluated how clinicians assess antiretroviral (ARV) adherence in clinical encounters, and which questions elicit accurate responses. We conducted conversation analysis of audio-recorded encounters between 34 providers and 58 patients reporting ARV non-adherence in post-encounter interviews. Among 42 visits where adherence status was unknown by providers, 4 providers did not discuss ARVs (10 %), 6 discussed ARVs but did not elicit non-adherence disclosure (14 %), and 32 discussed ARVs which prompted disclosure (76 %). Questions were classified as: (1) clarification of medication ("Are you still taking the Combivir?"); (2) broad ("How's it going with your meds?"); (3) positively-framed ("Are you taking your medications regularly?"); (4) negatively-framed ("Have you missed any doses?"). Clinicians asked 75 ARV-related questions: 23 clarification, 12 broad, 17 positively-framed, and 23 negatively-framed. Negatively-framed questions were 3.8 times more likely to elicit accurate disclosure than all other question types (p < 0.0001). Providers can improve disclosure probability by asking directly about missed doses.

Do clinical features of Lesch-Nyhan disease correlate more closely with hypoxanthine or guanine recycling?

Lesch-Nyhan disease (LND) is a rare, X-linked recessive neurodevelopmental disorder caused by deficiency of hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HGprt), an enzyme in the purine salvage pathway. HGprt has two functions; it recycles hypoxanthine and guanine. Which of these two functions is more relevant for pathogenesis is unclear because some evidence points to hypoxanthine recycling, but other evidence points to guanine recycling. In this study, we selectively assayed hypoxanthine (Hprt) and guanine (Gprt) recycling in skin fibroblasts from 17 persons with LND, 11 with an attenuated variant of the disease (LNV), and 19 age-, sex-, and race-matched healthy controls (HC). Activity levels of both enzymes differed across groups (p < 0.0001), but only Gprt distinguished patients with LND from those with LNV (p < 0.05). Gprt also showed slightly stronger correlations than Hprt with 13 of 14 measures of the clinical phenotype, including the severity of dystonia, cognitive impairment, and behavioral abnormalities. These findings suggest that loss of guanine recycling might be more closely linked to the LND/LNV phenotype than loss of hypoxanthine recycling.