Eye gaze behavior is considered an important aspect of doctor-patient nonverbal interaction process in a clinical encounter. Previous research shows that eye gaze behavior patterns works as part of a doctor’s communication style and affects certain medical outcomes. New interventions (behavioral and technological) are continuously being introduced to the clinical encounters due to health care work system redesign and there is a need to evaluate the impact of these interventions on communication. The aim of this study was to develop a systematic approach to evaluate eye gaze behavior patterns using video coding and lag sequential analysis technique. Thirty-two clinical encounters with two interaction styles were analyzed. Differences and similarities in eye gaze behavior pattern were found in the two styles. Implications for interventions and evaluation in doctor-patient interaction are discussed.
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