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Patient–Provider Communication Differs for Black Compared to White HIV-Infected Patients

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Abstract

Poor patient–provider interactions may play a role in explaining racial disparities in the quality and outcomes of HIV care in the United States. We analyzed 354 patient–provider encounters coded with the Roter Interaction Analysis System across four HIV care sites in the United States to explore possible racial differences in patient–provider communication. Providers were more verbally dominant in conversations with black as compared to white patients. This was largely due to black patients’ talking less than white patients. There was no association between race and other measures of communication. Black and white patients rated their providers’ communication similarly. Efforts to more effectively engage patients in the medical dialogue may lead to improved patient–provider relationships, self-management, and outcomes among black people living with HIV/AIDS.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by a contract from the Health Resources Service Administration and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ 290-01-0012). In addition, Dr. Korthuis was supported by the National Institute of Drug Abuse (K23 DA019808). Dr. Beach was supported by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (K08 HS013903-05) and both Drs. Beach and Saha were supported by Robert Wood Johnson Generalist Physician Faculty Scholars Awards. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors, and no official endorsement by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality or the US Department of Health and Human Services is intended or should be inferred. The authors would also like to acknowledge the contribution of John Fleishman, Ph.D. to the study design and presentation of data.

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Correspondence to Mary Catherine Beach.

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Beach, M.C., Saha, S., Korthuis, P.T. et al. Patient–Provider Communication Differs for Black Compared to White HIV-Infected Patients. AIDS Behav 15, 805–811 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-009-9664-5

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