Provider–Patient Interaction: Exploring Elderspeak in Simulated Preclinical Chiropractic Student Encounters

Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify whether or not elderspeak was evident in simulated provider–patient encounters in a chiropractic education program. This study was designed to answer the following three research questions (RQs): RQ 1: Is elderspeak present in simulated patient en...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Maurya D. Cockrell DHPE, MHRM, SHRM-SCP, SPHR, EDAC
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publishing 2020-05-01
Series:Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1177/2333721420923453
Description
Summary:Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify whether or not elderspeak was evident in simulated provider–patient encounters in a chiropractic education program. This study was designed to answer the following three research questions (RQs): RQ 1: Is elderspeak present in simulated patient encounters in a chiropractic education program? RQ 2: If elderspeak is present, which categorization of elderspeak is most frequently used during simulated patient encounters? RQ 3: If elderspeak is present, is gender an influencing variable? Method: The presence of elderspeak in simulated chiropractic encounters was studied using a cross-sectional mixed methods observational research design. Results : A total of 331 occurrences of elderspeak were identified in 60 digitized recordings. The most common form of elderspeak was collective pronoun usage. Conclusion : Results indicated that the chiropractic industry is susceptible to elderspeak. Understanding elderspeak is important to prevent future ageist behaviors from affecting older adult patients and to improve their health outcomes.
ISSN:2333-7214