Do Patients have Communication Preferences during a Videoconsultation?: Presenter(s): Noelle Junod Perron, Geneva University Hospitals and Geneva Faculty of Medicine, Switzerland

Teleconsultation can influence health behaviours through changes of doctor-patient communication. The aim of our study was to explore patients’ preferences regarding doctors’ behaviours in video consultation. We conducted an exploratory study in both private and public medical centres and emergency services in Geneva in 2021. Patients in the waiting room were invited to watch videos displaying variations of doctor communication behaviours during video consultation and indicate which one they preferred. The videos featured 6 specific physician video communication behaviours with 2 variations for each: 1) Camera framing: face vs face and bust 2) Gaze orientation: towards screen vs towards screen and camera 3) Social phase: related to connexion quality or not 4) Privacy reminder regarding the online platform and environment: with or without 5) Pauses after physicians’ statements: usual / longer pauses 6) Empathy: with or without increased non-verbal expression. 417 patients watched three different videotaped standardized encounters illustrating specific video consultation behaviours (two variations each). A majority of patients preferred framing with both face and bust (50.7%) versus face alone (21.8%).They valued eye gazing towards the screen (42.9%) versus eye gazing shifting between screen and camera (13%). Social phase related to connection quality was praised (43.1% vs 17.1%) as well as the privacy reminder regarding the online platform and environment (80.8% vs 6.5%). Patients preferred usual pauses after physician’s statements (63.9 vs 14.9%) as well as expressive rather neutral non-verbal behaviour when associated with verbal empathy (46.7% vs 17.6%). The percentage of patients indicating no preference varied between 12.6% (privacy reminder) and 43.1% (eye gazing). Patients prefer the use of the video specific communication behaviours recommended by experts, with the exception of shifting eye gazing and pause duration. These recommendations, if confirmed by other studies, should be more consistently taught during medical training.