Journal of general internal medicine
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
How well do doctors know their patients? Factors affecting physician understanding of patients' health beliefs.
An important feature of patient-centered care is physician understanding of their patients' health beliefs and values. ⋯ Physicians were not good judges of patient's health beliefs, but had a substantially better understanding when patients more actively participated in the consultation. Strategies for increasing physicians' awareness of patients' health beliefs include preconsultation assessment of patients' beliefs, implementing culturally appropriate patient activation programs, and greater use of partnership-building to encourage active patient participation.