communication&health

Area A: Doctor - Patient communication

A1. Nonverbal communication in the medical encounter.
The research program investigates how patient nonverbal behaviour affects the diagnosis as well as the physician's behaviour during the visit, and studies the effects on patient outcomes of physician's attention to patient's nonverbal cues and affective states.
The results can be used to improve physician training and patient education and empowerment.
Funding requested through research module (Neuchatel).
1 PhD position to be opened (foreseen fall 2007).

A2. Doctor-patient relationship in the information age.
This project seeks to examine the ways in which people identify information (mainly from the internet), whether they present it to their physicians, how they value it and how these processes shape their behaviour.
Funded through SNF project no.109972 (Lugano)
1 PhD student since 2007.

A3. Using On-Line Strategies to Enhance Information and Social Support for Self-Management of Chronic Low Back Pain.
The project has three purposes: to assess the factors that influence self management in the field of chronic low back pain; to elicit and compare the current perceptions of patients and health care providers about the management of chronic low back pain; to asess the efficacy of an online platform in informing, support and generally improve the health status of a group of 80 patients from Tessin affected by chronic low back pain.
Funded through SNF project no. 104841. (Lugano)
1 PhD student since 2007.

A4. Calibrating Risk to Coounter Unwarrented Health Concern, or Making Good News Convincing.
This research focuses on the inability or unwillingness of the consumer to accept information contradicting their current understanding or its implications in judgements and choices about health behaviour.
Funding requested through research module. (Lugano)
2 PhD positions opened in Summer 2007.

Area B: Communication between health professionals
Area C: Health Promotion Campaigns
Area D: Health and Media