Linguistic insights from clinical conversations
Research type
Research Study
Full title
LISTEN: Linguistic Investigation of Spoken Transactions for Empathetic Natural Language Processing
IRAS ID
346704
Contact name
Ernest Lim
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Ufonia
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 8 months, 31 days
Research summary
This study aims to understand how people communicate during routine healthcare phone calls. We want to find out what speech patterns and behaviours contribute to effective communication in these conversations.
Participants (both patients and clinicians) will be consented to have their routine telephone consultation with a clinician about prevention of bone fractures audio recorded. We will invite adults who speak English fluently and do not have significant hearing or cognitive impairments to participate.
Experienced linguists will analyse anonymised versions of these audio recordings and transcripts to identify specific speech patterns that promote clear and empathetic communication in healthcare conversations.
After the consultation with the clinician, participants will receive another phone call to complete structured questions about their experience. This call will last between 10 and 30 minutes.
The findings from this study will be used to help design automated conversation systems that support doctors and nurses, that incorporate the nuances of human empathy and natural conversation.
REC name
East of England - Cambridge Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/EE/0238
Date of REC Opinion
16 Dec 2024
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion