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Table 1 Guideline for augmented and limited interaction context

From: Influence of the patient-practitioner interaction context on acupuncture outcomes in functional dyspepsia: study protocol for a multicenter randomized controlled trial

Augmented Interaction context

Limited Interaction context

1. Warm, Friendly Style

1. Neutral, Impersonal Style

 - Shake hands

 - Thank patient for participation in study

 - Frequent use of patient’s name.

 - Sit face to face, not separated by a desk

 - Appropriate smiling

 - Appropriate use of humor

 - Do not initiate hand shaking

 - Do not thank patient for participation

 - Infrequent use of patient’s name

 - Sit separated by desk

 - Limit smiling

 - Avoid humor

2. Attentive

2. Distracted

 - Frequent eye contact

 - Leans in at appropriate points

 - Appropriate use of head nods

 - Limited use of computer or clipboard

 - Infrequent eye contact

 - Bodily posture conveys distance

 - Minimal use of head nods

 - Frequent use of computer or clipboard

3. Active Listening

3. Minimal Active Listening

 - Open-ended questions that emphasize patient’s experience of illness

 - Avoid interrupting patient

 - Patient speaks more than clinician

 - Allow some silence for contemplation

 - Reflections

 - Clarifications

 - Closed-ended questions (yes or no)

 - Tightly focused on review of systems

 - Interrupt patient to keep to script

 - Clinician does most of the talking

 - Fill silences quickly

 - Avoid reflections

 - Avoid clarifications

4. Personalized Content

4. Generic Content

 - The clinician will encourage the patient to speak for the majority of the time

 - The clinician’s explanation of the illness and treatment will be personalized, using the patient’s own words wherever possible

 - The clinician will dominate the interview, speaking for the majority of the time

 - The clinician’s explanation of the illness and treatment will be generic with no personalization for the patient

5. Empathic Connection

5. Reduced Empathy and Connection

 - Partnership (We’ll work together)

 - Empathy (That must have been painful)

 - Validate emotions

 - No expression of partnership

 - No empathy expression (but not callousness)

 - Avoid emotional content

6. Mirroring

6. No Mirroring

 - Mirror patient’s prosody (volume, pace, intonation)

 - Avoid medical jargon

 - Use vocabulary familiar to patient

 - No effort at mirroring patient’s prosody

 - Use medical jargon

 - No effort to use vocabulary familiar to patient