Psychology A2 · Health Psychology. The idea in plain words, the rules to remember, the mistake to avoid and a worked example, written and checked by Mega Lecture.
To make a diagnosis, the practitioner depends on what the patient discloses, and patients do not always tell everything. A diagnosis can be wrong in two ways. A false positive says a healthy person is ill. A false negative says an ill person is healthy. A diagnosis should be presented in clear language, with a check that the patient has understood.
In a doctor-centred (directed) consultation, the doctor asks closed questions, decides and instructs. In a patient-centred (sharing) consultation, the doctor asks for the patient’s ideas and worries and agrees a plan with them.
In the key study, Savage and Armstrong (1990) randomly allocated patients of one London GP to a directing or a sharing style. Satisfaction was higher with the directing style.
Students assume the sharing style won in Savage and Armstrong because it sounds kinder. The directing style gave the higher satisfaction.
Answer: A false negative; the infection is left untreated and may get worse or spread.
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