Relationship building in oncological doctor-patient interaction
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Susanne Günthner
Abstract
This paper studies practices of relationship building between oncologists and their patients during consultations when a diagnosis of malignancy is communicated. The analysis – with its focus on physicians’ uses of terms of address – aims to provide a better understanding of the sequential construction of the doctor-patient relationship in highly sensitive consultations.
In our data, oncologists frequently address their patients by name – even when recipiency is not at issue. They use this communicative resource to contextualize the heightened attention they are giving their patients and to lend the interaction a more personal quality.
Drawing on methods of Conversation Analysis and Interactional Linguistics, I will show that relationship building is an ongoing task doctors are confronted with in the process of interactions.
Abstract
This paper studies practices of relationship building between oncologists and their patients during consultations when a diagnosis of malignancy is communicated. The analysis – with its focus on physicians’ uses of terms of address – aims to provide a better understanding of the sequential construction of the doctor-patient relationship in highly sensitive consultations.
In our data, oncologists frequently address their patients by name – even when recipiency is not at issue. They use this communicative resource to contextualize the heightened attention they are giving their patients and to lend the interaction a more personal quality.
Drawing on methods of Conversation Analysis and Interactional Linguistics, I will show that relationship building is an ongoing task doctors are confronted with in the process of interactions.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Practices of relationship management in organized helping 1
- Forging relationships in psychotherapeutic interaction 27
- Doing We – Working alliance in psychotherapeutic relationships 51
- What about you? 79
- So let’s say men can’t understand that much 105
- Relationship management by means of solution-oriented questions in German psychodiagnostic interviews 127
- The role of semi-responsive answers for relationship building in coaching 151
- Working alliance and client design as discursive achievements in first sessions of executive coaching 171
- Relationship building in oncological doctor-patient interaction 195
- Practices of relationship building in Hungarian primary care 221
- Building (dis-)affiliative medical relationships through interactional practices of knowledge management 243
- How are you getting on with these? 265
- Twitter as a helping medium 287
- Relational dimensions of organized helping 315
- Index 329
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Practices of relationship management in organized helping 1
- Forging relationships in psychotherapeutic interaction 27
- Doing We – Working alliance in psychotherapeutic relationships 51
- What about you? 79
- So let’s say men can’t understand that much 105
- Relationship management by means of solution-oriented questions in German psychodiagnostic interviews 127
- The role of semi-responsive answers for relationship building in coaching 151
- Working alliance and client design as discursive achievements in first sessions of executive coaching 171
- Relationship building in oncological doctor-patient interaction 195
- Practices of relationship building in Hungarian primary care 221
- Building (dis-)affiliative medical relationships through interactional practices of knowledge management 243
- How are you getting on with these? 265
- Twitter as a helping medium 287
- Relational dimensions of organized helping 315
- Index 329
