How does patient provider communication affect patients' risk perception? A scenario experiment and an exploratory investigation.

Aim: The aim of the study was to examine whether patient–provider communication interacts with treatment outcomes to influence patients' risk perception. Background: Medical uncertainties and risks are among the most serious problems faced by patients. This is exacerbated by communication failure in patient–provider relationships and poor treatment outcomes. However, we do not know how communication and treatment outcomes shape patients' risk perception and concern about uncertainty. Design The study is a two‐by‐two between‐subjects design. Methods: Two studies were conducted and data were collected in 2019. Each study used a different research design and different samples: Study 1 used a scenario experiment with 120 undergraduate students; and Study 2 surveyed 200 inpatients in clinical settings. Results: The convergent results found a significant interaction between patient–provider communication and treatment outcome on the perception of medical risks among the participants. Conclusion: Patient–provider communication interacts with treatment outcome to influence patients' perceived risk about uncertainties for healthcare. Clinicians and nurses should be aware of the effects of patient–provider communication on patients' risk perception in their concerns about the uncertainties of treatment and pay much more attention to good healthcare relationship building in addition to the improvement of objective treatment outcome. SUMMARY STATEMENT: What is already known about this topic? Medical uncertainties and risks are exacerbated by communication failure in healthcare relationship.Communicating information to patients is important when they are evaluating the risks and benefits of treatment.Current theories to explain medical risk assume particular psychological processes to reproduce empirical observations of financial risk‐sensitive behaviour. What this paper adds? A scenario experiment explored the interaction effect of patient‐provider communication and treatment outcomes on the perceived risk of medical treatment.We verified the results in the clinical context and revealed a significant interaction of patient‐provider communication with patients' perceived risk of treatment outcomes.Our model predicts that patients' risk perceptions are both path dependent and affected by the patient‐provider communication and treatment outcome. The implications of this paper: Healthcare providers, for example, physicians and nurses, are reminded to adhere to preferred communication and relationship building methods, in support of good treatment outcomes.Providing patients with humanized support and compassion from healthcare professionals may help them understand their illness and symptoms as well as improve their concerns about the uncertainties of treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]