The dynamics of resident-patient communication: data from Canada.

The objectives of this study were to examine patterns of resident-patient communication and the relationship between resident patterns of speech with patient satisfaction. Forty consultations, ten in each of the four gender combinations (male resident/male patient, male resident/female patient, female resident/female patient, female resident/male patient) were audiotaped and microanalyzed using the Roter Interaction Analysis System. Several findings depart significantly from previous studies with physician-only or physician-resident-mixed samples.