Health professional-patient communication practices in East Asia: An integrative review of an emerging field of research and practice in Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and Mainland China.

There is a need to consider local culture in understanding and interpreting medical encounters in East Asia. So the aim of this study was to provide an integrative review of literature on health communication in East Asia and detail culturally-specific influences wicht highlights the need for a specific culturally-appropriate model of health communication in East Asia which may significantly improve relationships between clinicians and patients.

Continuity of care and referral rate: challenges for the future of health care

Continuity of care could reduce health care consumption by patients and reduce the number of referrals to specialist care, but it is unknown if there is a difference in referral rates to specific medical specialties. The aim was to determine the relationship between continuity of care and both the referral rate (referrals per patient per year) and the medical specialties for which this relationship was strongest.

Continuity of care and referral rate: challenges for the future of health care

As health care costs rise, an increasingly greater proportion of the gross domestic product is spent on health care. In this context, Continuity of care could reduce health care consumption by patients and reduce the number of referrals to specialist care, but it is unknown if there is a difference in referral rates to specific medical specialties.

The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between continuity of care and both the referral rate (referrals per patient per year) and the medical specialties for which this relationship was strongest.

Challenges to patient centredness – a comparison of patient and doctor experiences from primary care

Many countries and international organisations, such as OECD and WHO, have chosen patient centredness as the approach to ensure that the patients’ needs, values, and preferences are appropriately considered in the health care meetings. Whereas most OECD countries show progress in implementing patient-centred care, no country performs in the top group on all indicators in cross-country comparison. Patient-centred consultation methodologies vary, but reoccurring components can be identified in the literature, such as the patient’s narrative and collaboration.
This article designed an observational study to investigate the level of patients’ and doctors’ ratings of patient-centred aspects of the primary care consultation.