Skip to main content
PMC home page
Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases logoLink to Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
. 1986 Mar;45(3):198–209. doi: 10.1136/ard.45.3.198

Doctor-patient communication in rheumatology: studies of visual and verbal perception using educational booklets and other graphic material.

J M Moll
PMCID: PMC1001852  PMID: 3954469

Abstract

Patients (n = 404) with osteoarthrosis and control subjects (n = 233) were studied to examine the communicational value of five styles of illustration (cartoon (C), matchstick (M), representational (R), symbolic (S), photographic (P) and two levels of text ('easy', 'hard'), presented as educational booklets about osteoarthrosis. Booklet comprehension was tested with a multiple choice questionnaire (MCQ) scored by two raw score and two, more sensitive, weight-of-evidence methods. Further studies assessed perception of image detail, tone, and colour by ranking, rating, latency, and questionnaire methods. A subgroup was tested psychometrically. The main findings were: pictures in booklets enhance communication; perception of pictorial style depends on its vehicle of presentation, cartoons being most effective in booklets, photographs overall; simplifying text does not significantly enhance communication; certain picture-text 'interactions' appear to increase comprehension (e.g. 'hard' text with 'easy' pictures); several 'endogenous' factors are associated with increased comprehension: 'psychological' (e.g., intelligence, memory, reading skill); 'demographic' (e.g., the young, males, higher social grades, higher educational levels); 'disease' (e.g., longer disease duration, previous information about the disease).

Full text

PDF
207

Images in this article

199Image
on p.199
200Image
on p.200
200Image
on p.200

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Anderson J. L., Dodman S., Kopelman M., Fleming A. Patient information recall in a rheumatology clinic. Rheumatol Rehabil. 1979 Feb;18(1):18–22. doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/18.1.18. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. BIRREN J. E., MORRISON D. F. Analysis of the WAIS subtests in relation to age and education. J Gerontol. 1961 Oct;16:363–369. doi: 10.1093/geronj/16.4.363. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. EGBERT L. D., BATTIT G. E., WELCH C. E., BARTLETT M. K. REDUCTION OF POSTOPERATIVE PAIN BY ENCOURAGEMENT AND INSTRUCTION OF PATIENTS. A STUDY OF DOCTOR-PATIENT RAPPORT. N Engl J Med. 1964 Apr 16;270:825–827. doi: 10.1056/NEJM196404162701606. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Gilbert J. G., Levee R. F. Patterns of declining memory. J Gerontol. 1971 Jan;26(1):70–75. doi: 10.1093/geronj/26.1.70. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Huskisson E. C. Measurement of pain. Lancet. 1974 Nov 9;2(7889):1127–1131. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(74)90884-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Joyce C. R., Caple G., Mason M., Reynolds E., Mathews J. A. Quantitative study of doctor-patient communication. Q J Med. 1969 Apr;38(150):183–194. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Ley P., Spelman M. S. Communications in an out-patient setting. Br J Soc Clin Psychol. 1965 Jun;4(2):114–116. doi: 10.1111/j.2044-8260.1965.tb00449.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Moll J. M., Wright V. Evaluation of the Arthritis and Rheumatism Council Handbook on Gout. An objective study of doctor-patient communication. Ann Rheum Dis. 1972 Sep;31(5):405–411. doi: 10.1136/ard.31.5.405. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Moll J. M., Wright V., Jeffrey M. R., Goode J. D., Humberstone P. M. The cartoon in doctor-patient communication. Further study of the Arthritis and Rheumatism Council handbook on gout. Ann Rheum Dis. 1977 Jun;36(3):225–231. doi: 10.1136/ard.36.3.225. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES