Approaches to the measurement of explanation and information-giving in medical consultations: a review of empirical studies

Abstract

Many 'sociological' and 'medical' reasons for informing and not informing patients in medical consultations have been given. This paper reviews and evaluates various empirical attempts to support arguments about the relationship between information-giving and outcomes. It suggests that more attention has been paid to examining the way information is given than to the information itself. When information has been examined this has been in relatively 'empiricist' ways, ignoring the issue as to how illuminating it might be. The paper concludes both that we know very little about the causes and consequences of information exchanged in medical consultations and that we are unlikely to do so unless different approaches are attempted.