The Doctor Will See You Now: Affect Influences on the Negotiated Approach of the Doctor Patient Relationship

Abstract

Can affect state influence judgments of health interactions and behaviors in the doctor patient relationship? Research into the role of emotion in shared medical decision making process is limited, despite its importance in such a context. A computerized simulation tested the impact of positive and negative affect on the negotiated approach of the doctor patient relationship. The study suggests affect influences have a significant impact on judgments and behaviors in the medical encounter with respect to problem solving, relationship building, satisfaction, and adherence. Further, positive and negative affect influences on patients have a significant impact on their perceptions of doctors. The results point to the negotiated framework as a new approach to examine emotional, social, and cognitive influences that occur in the doctor patient relationship.