Provider-patient relations is the study of interpersonal communication patterns and the resultant development of interpersonal relations between providers and consumers within a health-care delivery system. Both health-care providers and consumers depend on effective communication to seek and provide relevant health information in receiving and providing competent health care, and the relationships established between health-care providers and consumers have major influences on the quality of communication between these individuals.

Interpersonal Communication and Health Care

Interpersonal communication is a primary channel for information exchange for both consumers and health-care providers. For example, to diagnose health-care problems, doctors and other health-care providers depend on communication to gather relevant information from their clients about the specific symptoms these clients are experiencing. Without accurate diagnostic information, it is a hit or miss proposition to develop viable treatment strategies. Health-care treatments that are based on inaccurate or incomplete diagnostic information are unlikely...