Parent Race and Communication During Elective Pediatric Surgery Consultations

How does parent-clinician communication differ by parent race during initial pediatric surgery consultations?In this cohort study among 153 parents and 22 surgical clinicians, consultations with Black parents had higher clinician verbal dominance, less parent emotional expression, and less social chitchat for parents and clinicians compared with visits with White parents.These findings suggest opportunities to mitigate racial differences in communication and bridge social distance in pediatric surgical care, including through improved clinician elicitation of patient and family concerns and intentional attempts to build rapport.

Corresponding Author: Chenery Lowe, ScM, CGC, PhD, Stanford University, 300 Pasteur Dr, Edwards Research Building, Room R281, Stanford, CA 94305 (clowe7@stanford.edu).

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