The Presence of Companions during Emergency Department Evaluation and its Impact on Perceptions of Clinician-Patient Communication

摘要

Objectives.Research in outpatient setting suggests that the presence of companions during a medical encounter can improve clinician-patient communication. It is not known if the presence of companions has a similar effect in the acutely stressful context of the Emergency Department (ED). This study tested whether the presence of companions in the ED relate to stronger clinician-patient communication. We further explored effect modification by demographic factors (race/ethnicity, education, language) thought to compromise communication.