First impressions of medical providers online images can impact peoples decisions and expectations about pain and health outcomes even before in-person clinic visits, according to a new study funded by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH). Led by researchers at NCCIH, the study was recently published inSocial Science & Medicine. Patient-provider interactions and medical providers behavior and characteristics, including warmth and competence, are known to play a central role in shaping peoples health care expectations and pain experience. With people increasingly using the web to select and interact with health care providers, an online headshot image, not an in-person interaction, might be a persons first exposure to a medical provider. |