The Stereotype Content Model as an Explanation of Biased Perceptions in a Medical Interaction: Implications for Patient-Provider Relationship

How do patients' perceptions and doctors' images impact patient decisions? Deconstructing online physician selection using multimodal data

In the post-pandemic era, medical resources are uneven, and access to healthcare is complicated. Online medical platforms have become a solution to bridge the information gap and reduce hospital pressure. This study uses the stereotype content model and signaling theory to explore the impact of patient perception of patient decision making (PDM) on online medical service platforms. Also, it tests the moderating effect of physician image. We collected information on 12,890 physicians and 746,981 patient reviews from online medical platforms in China. Unsupervised machine learning was used to construct a topic model to extract patients' perceptions of physicians' competence and warmth. Meanwhile, the facial features of physicians, such as age, smile, and glasses, are recognized by convolutional neural networks. Finally, the influence of PDM concern on decision-making and the moderating effect of physician image were analyzed by multiple linear regression. The results of the study showed that (1) patients' perceptions of physicians' competence and warmth had a positive effect on decision-making; (2) physicians' age and wearing glasses enhanced the positive effect of perception on decision-making; and (3) however, physicians' smiles weakened the positive effect of perception on decision-making. This study provides new insights into patients' online physician selection, guides the construction and promotion of medical service platforms, and provides an effective avenue of exploration to alleviate the problem of uneven distribution of offline medical resources.

The Influence of Stereotypes on Trust in Doctors from Patients' Perspective: The Mediating Role of Communication

Purpose

To investigate the relationship among patients' stereotypes of doctors, effectiveness of doctors' communication skills evaluated by patients, and patients' trust in doctors.

Patients and Methods

A cross-sectional survey with a total of 3289 patients from 103 hospitals in eastern, central and western China was conducted.

Results

There were strong correlations among patients' stereotypes, patients' evaluation on doctors' communication skills, and patients' trust (r = 0.50-0.67, p < 0.01 for all). Patients' trust was predicted by patients' stereotypes directly (β = 0.32, 95% CI: 0.27-0.37) and indirectly (β = 0.19, 95% CI: 0.16-0.23) through patients' evaluation on doctors' communication skills.

Conclusion

Both patients' stereotypes and patients' evaluation on doctors' communication skills have predictive effects on patients' trust. Patients' stereotypes are not only a direct predictor of patients' trust but also an indirect predictor via doctors' communication skills as a mediator. This national survey underlines the significance of patients' stereotypes, and emphasizes the importance of developing doctors' communication skills on patients' trust. In order to build a more trustful doctor-patient relationship, there should be a joint effort at social and individual level to reinforce positive impression and suppress negative stereotypes of doctors. As far as communication skills are concerned, doctors are encouraged to use helpful verbal and nonverbal techniques that benefit their profession impression management.

Social-contextual factors interact with masculinity to influence college men's HPV vaccination intentions: The role of descriptive norms, prototypes, and physician gender

Men’s low HPV vaccination uptake and HPV-related disease incidence are public health issues; gendered social–contextual factors likely play a role. In Study 1, college men (N = 130; M_age = 19.55; white = 58.1%) reported their social cognitions (male-referent descriptive norms and prototypes), self-reliance masculinity ideology, and vaccination intentions. In Study 2, college men (N = 106; M_age = 19.32; white = 61.3%) were randomly assigned to receive HPV vaccination information from a man or woman physician-avatar. Descriptive norms and favorable prototypes (bs ≥ .337; ps ≤ .016) were associated with higher HPV vaccination intentions. Men with higher self-reliance masculinity had higher HPV vaccination intentions with a man physician and when they perceived greater vaccination among men (ps ≤ .035). Men with higher self-reliance masculinity are more sensitive to gendered social–contextual effects in HPV vaccination decision-making. Gendered social–contextual factors should be integrated into public health interventions to increase college men’s HPV vaccination uptake.

A Pilot Study Examining the Efficacy of Delivering Colorectal Cancer Screening Messages via Virtual Health Assistants

INTRODUCTION

Patients are more likely to complete colorectal cancer screening when recommended by a race-concordant healthcare provider. Leveraging virtual healthcare assistants to deliver tailored screening interventions may promote adherence to colorectal cancer screening guidelines among diverse patient populations. The purpose of this pilot study is to determine the efficacy of the Agent Leveraging Empathy for eXams virtual healthcare assistant intervention to increase patient intentions to talk to their doctor about colorectal cancer screening. It also examines the influence of animation and race concordance on intentions to complete colorectal cancer screening.

METHODS

White and Black adults (N=1,363) aged 50-73 years and not adherent to colorectal cancer screening guidelines were recruited from Qualtrics Panels in 2018 to participate in a 3-arm (animated virtual healthcare assistant, static virtual healthcare assistant, attention control) message design experiment. In 2020, a probit regression model was used to identify the intervention effects.

RESULTS

Participants assigned to the animated virtual healthcare assistant (p<0.01) reported higher intentions to talk to their doctor about colorectal cancer screening than participants assigned to the other conditions. There was a significant effect of race concordance on colorectal cancer screening intentions but only in the static virtual healthcare assistant condition (p=0.04). Participant race, age, trust in healthcare providers, health literacy, and cancer information overload were also significant predictors of colorectal cancer screening intentions.

CONCLUSIONS

Animated virtual healthcare assistants were efficacious compared with the static virtual healthcare assistant and attention control conditions. The influence of race concordance between source and participant was inconsistent across conditions. This warrants additional investigation in future studies given the potential for virtual healthcare assistant‒assisted interventions to promote colorectal cancer screening within guidelines.

Stereotypes of Social Groups in Mainland China in Terms of Warmth and Competence: Evidence from a Large Undergraduate Sample

The Stereotype Content Model (SCM) has been validated in multiple countries and regions. However, previous validation studies in China have been limited by small sample size. The current research increased the sample size (n = 184 in the pilot study; n₁ = 1315 and n₂ = 268 in the formal study) to validate the SCM in mainland China in study 1. Supporting the SCM, 41 social groups were clustered into four quadrants based on warmth and competence dimensions. 35 of the 41 target groups (85.37%) receive ambivalent stereotype. Perceived warmth and competence were positively correlated (r = 0.585, p < 0.001). Status and competence were positively related (r = 0.81, p < 0.001), and competition and warmth were negatively related (r = −0.77, p < 0.001). In addition, 24 typical social groups were selected and a list of stereotype words for these groups was developed in study 2 (n₁ = 48, n₂ = 52). The implications of the emerging social groups and the applications of this stereotype word list are discussed.