Claiming Power in Doctor-Patient Talk

Claiming Power in Doctor-Patient Talk; Ainsworth-Vaughn N. 224 pages. New York: Oxford Univ Pr; 1998. $45.00. ISBN 0195096061. Order phone 800-451-7556.

Field of medicine: Sociolinguistics and medical sociology.

Format: Hardcover book.

Audience: Medical sociologists, ethicists, medical students and educators, and researchers in patient-health care provider communications.

Purpose: To explore the content and socioemotional impact of patient–physician conversation and apply theories of sociolinguistics to medical encounters. The book also illustrates techniques of physician conversation style that are most conducive to patient satisfaction.

Content: The book's eight chapters are grouped into four parts. The author first reviews existing research in analysis of the patient–physician discourse, discussing …