Table 1.

Siminoff Communication Content & Affect Program content themes

Content theme	Coding definition
Introduction	Nonmedical talk in first moments of consult, light chat, greetings
Purpose	Stated or implied outcomes, objectives, or goals for the consult
Care logistics	How future medical tasks (e.g., treatment, imaging) will unfold, be performed, or take place
Disease	Talk of patient’s identified current or chronic disease, including disease specific symptoms
Treatment	Any aspect or type of disease treatment, including side effects, complementary and alternative medicine, no treatment
Preferences and values	Expression of any interactant’s opinions or attitudes about past, current, or future medical care
Procedures	Directives for progressing through current consult (e.g., physical exam)
Medical history	Review of past and current medical issues, family history, comorbidities, symptoms
Clinical trials	Describe, offer, discuss aspects of clinical trials
Psychosocial	Talk about lifestyle, work, cultural, spiritual, or economic issues; also, small talk that occurs after introduction
Emotional	Discussion or expression of emotional state, anxiety, gratitude, fears, frustrations
Prognosis	Discussion of future disease state or outcomes