PURPOSEThe patient-physician relationship is the cornerstone of health care service delivery. The objectives of this study were to assess the contribution of relationship commitment along with trust to patient-physician relationships and to evaluate the association of commitment and trust with adherence to medical advice and healthy eating behaviors.
METHODSTo test the proposed model, we developed a questionnaire that included both existing scales and a scale constructed specifi cally for the study; the questions addressed trust, commitment, adherence to physicians' medical recommendations, and healthy eating behavior. The questionnaire was given to adult patients in the waiting rooms of 4 large clinics in central Texas.RESULTS A total of 1,008 patients returned questionnaires; 869 patients' questionnaires were complete and used in the analysis. A 3-stage least squares analysis that tested a system of 4 equations which included relationship commitment yielded a systemwide R 2 of 0.71 that was 0.09 higher than a system of equations excluding relationship commitment. Trust and commitment were positively associated with adherence (P <.001 and P = .02, respectively). We also found positive relationships between adherence and commitment and between trust and commitment (P <.001 for each). Adherence and commitment were both associated with healthy eating behavior as well (P <.001 for each).CONCLUSIONS Patients' trust in their physician and commitment to the relationship offer a more complete understanding of the patient-physician relationship. In addition, trust and commitment favorably infl uence patients' health behaviors.
Use of information technology in diabetes management has been shown to improve self-care. We determined whether enhancing type 2 diabetes (T2DM) self-care with a personal digital assistant (PDA) by patients in the ambulatory setting would improve glycemic control. A pretest/posttest intervention study was conducted in four family practice clinics in a large multispecialty group practice associated with an 186,000-member Health Maintenance Organization. Adults with T2DM and last measured glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) of > or = 8.00% received one-on-one training on the use of a loaned PDA pre-installed with "Diabetes Pilot." Changes in HbA1c and other outcomes were assessed at 6 months from baseline for all participants and by participant-reported PDA use patterns, dichotomized into high PDA users (> or =3 days in past 7) and low PDA users (< 3 days). Of 43 subjects enrolled, 18 (41.90%) completed the 6-month intervention. Their mean HbA1c decreased 17.50% from 9.70% at baseline to 8.00%, a significant mean HbA1c change of -1.7% (95% CI = -2.60 to -0.90). The mean HbA1c change was higher among reported high PDA users (n = 9, mean difference = -1.90, 95% CI = -3.20 to -0.50) than among reported low PDA users (n = 9, mean difference = -1.50, 95% CI = -2.80 to -0.30). Significant increases were reported for the foot care and general diet subscales of the Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities from 3 to 6 months. Enhancing T2DM self-care by adults with a PDA was associated with significant reductions in HbA1c; the reductions were greater among reported high PDA users.
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