Comparison of Initial Patient-Provider Communication to 3-Month Return-to-Work and Case Ratings
| Verbal Exchanges | Return to Work* | Statistic | Clinical Case Rating | Statistic | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Returned (n = 54) (mean [SD]) | Not returned (n = 23) (mean [SD]) | Remitted (n = 47) (mean [SD]) | Unresolved (n = 30) (mean [SD]) | |||
| Biomedical/therapeutic questions | ||||||
| Provider | 32.35 (19.06) | 51.35 (27.97) | t(75) = 2.98† | 32.23 (19.10) | 47.10 (27.20) | t(75) = 2.82† |
| Patient | 1.93 (3.15) | 2.35 (2.69) | NS | 2.00 (3.35) | 2.13 (2.43) | NS |
| Lifestyle/psychosocial questions | ||||||
| Provider | 6.24 (4.08) | 8.65 (6.41) | NS | 6.30 (4.28) | 8.00 (5.82) | NS |
| Patient | 0.81 (1.12) | 0.61 (0.78) | NS | 0.75 (0.99) | 0.77 (1.10) | NS |
| Biomedical/therapeutic information | ||||||
| Provider | 53.11 (40.03) | 49.17 (27.26) | NS | 52.14 (41.98) | 51.60 (26.55) | NS |
| Patient | 63.56 (29.65) | 90.04 (45.62) | t(75) = 3.03† | 63.00 (31.01) | 84.73 (41.87) | t(75) = 2.61† |
| Lifestyle/psychosocial information | ||||||
| Provider | 28.02 (22.67) | 20.70 (15.00) | NS | 27.66 (23.31) | 22.97 (16.24) | NS |
| Patient | 25.78 (26.09) | 33.35 (27.30) | NS | 26.15 (26.89) | 31.00 (26.08) | NS |
| Facilitation/engagement | ||||||
| Provider | 30.02 (14.71) | 46.91 (21.28) | t(75) = 4.01† | 27.68 (12.03) | 46.63 (21.01) | t(75) = 4.49† |
| Patient | 2.07 (2.74) | 2.43 (2.48) | NS | 2.13 (2.88) | 2.27 (2.30) | NS |
| Positive rapport building | ||||||
| Provider | 37.17 (18.41) | 46.30 (19.49) | t(75) = 1.96† | 36.28 (17.16) | 45.57 (20.79) | t(75) = 2.13† |
| Patient | 35.20 (19.88) | 37.17 (19.88) | NS | 34.85 (20.33) | 37.27 (19.10) | NS |
| Negative rapport building | ||||||
| Provider | 0.35 (0.78) | 0.17 (0.39) | NS | 0.38 (0.82) | 0.17 (0.38) | NS |
| Patient | 0.41 (0.94) | 1.57 (3.38) | t(75) = 2.33† | 0.34 (0.92) | 1.40 (3.00) | NS |
| Emotional rapport building | ||||||
| Provider | 18.54 (11.56) | 20.22 (14.38) | NS | 17.23 (11.00) | 21.87 (14.05) | NS |
| Patient | 9.89 (9.03) | 13.57 (11.43) | NS | 9.49 (9.23) | 13.33 (10.55) | NS |
| Socializing/chit-chat | ||||||
| Provider | 1.91 (3.71) | 1.74 (3.51) | NS | 0.38 (0.82) | 0.17 (0.38) | NS |
| Patient | 1.52 (3.86) | 0.96 (2.18) | NS | 0.34 (0.92) | 1.40 (3.00) | NS |
| Procedural language | ||||||
| Provider | 32.85 (16.37) | 47.78 (28.30) | t(75) = 2.91† | 0.38 (0.82) | 0.17 (0.38) | NS |
| Patient | 0.57 (1.09) | 2.17 (2.72) | t(75) = 3.70† | 0.34 (0.92) | 1.40 (3.00) | NS |
* Resumption of normal, full-duty responsibilities.
† P < .05
NS, not significant.