The following is a summary of “Youth Preferences for Healthcare Providers and Healthcare Interactions: A Qualitative Study,” published in the February 2024 issue of Primary Care by Waselewski, et al.
Patient-provider relationships play a crucial role in healthcare delivery and patient outcomes. However, there needs to be more understanding of the preferences of youth regarding their healthcare providers. For a study, researchers sought to explore youth perspectives on their preferences for and interactions with healthcare providers.
They surveyed 1,163 participants from the MyVoice text message cohort, comprising youth aged 14–24 in the United States, on April 10, 2020. Participants were asked five open-ended questions regarding their preferences for healthcare providers. Content analysis was used to develop a codebook, and two reviewers independently coded responses. Discrepancies were resolved through discussion, and descriptive statistics were calculated for demographics and code frequency.
A total of 944 participants (81%) responded to at least one question. The mean age of respondents was 18.9 years (SD: 2.8), with the majority being female (53.6%) and White (56.3%). Youth highlighted the importance of “kindness” or other personality traits (31%) and education (30%) when selecting their doctor. While patient-provider concordance was not significant for many youths (44%), among those who deemed it important (55%), having the same gender was the most frequently cited factor (68%). Youth emphasized the importance of respect, open communication, and direct addressing of issues to alleviate discomfort. However, some expressed willingness to switch providers if needed.
Personality traits and empathy were valued by youth as essential characteristics in healthcare providers. Female respondents showed a preference for gender-concordant providers, particularly for issues related to sexual health, while non-White respondents were more likely to prefer racial concordance. Strengthening the professional and interpersonal skills of providers serving youth may enhance healthcare engagement and patient satisfaction.
Reference: bmcprimcare.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12875-024-02300-z