DEFINITION

• While doctors are familiar with what they mean by medical care, patients may have misconceptions or wrong assumptions based on past experiences or the media.
• Role induction is the process by which a clinician ensures that a patient has an accurate idea of:
  • The rationale and framework of the treatment relationship
  • The structure of the treatment process and expected outcomes of care
  • The responsibilities of the clinician and the patient
• Role induction has been referred to as "anticipatory socialization"[1].
  • From Orne and Wender (1968): "The individual who grows up in a particular culture learns what is expected of him in a variety of situations, and what he may legitimately expect of the individuals with whom he is interacting in these situations"[1].
• Role induction is foundational to the therapeutic alliance — a concept with robust evidence linking it to treatment outcomes across psychiatric and medical settings.
• Role induction is well-studied in behavioral health settings and has been consistently shown to improve patient retention, satisfaction, and treatment outcomes.
• Role induction is of special interest to psychiatrists, but we highly recommend thoughtful role induction to all clinicians (i.e., in the process of consenting patients for surgery or other procedures, physicians are already engaging in a form of role induction by making the role of the patient and doctor clear and explaining the rationale, process, and expected outcome of the procedure to be performed).