Discourse analysis reveals emotional dynamics in physician communication during telemedicine for elderly patients, suggesting implications for empathy and support.
The digital divide in an aging China has fostered the prevalent phenomenon of "surrogate seeking" in online healthcare, where family members consult doctors on behalf of elderly patients. However, the impact of this mediation on the emotional dynamics of physician-patient communication remains critically under explored. Grounded in Social Support Theory and the Model of Patient-Centered Empathic Communication, this study employs discourse analysis of 100 consultation transcripts from leading Chinese online health platforms to unravel the patterns of emotional interaction. Our findings reveal a distinct divergence in emotional appeals: surrogates express concerns explicitly, while elderly patients convey them indirectly. Physicians predominantly respond with non-immediate empathy, prioritizing medical task completion. Furthermore, surrogate involvement demonstrates a dual-edged effect, acting as both an informational bridge and a source of emotional distortion. This study provides critical insights for designing age-friendly telemedicine interfaces and refining physician communication strategies in surrogate-facilitated consultations.
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F.L. Huang (2025) studied this question.
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