Improving Conversations between Patients and Doctors

In order for a medical encounter to be successful there must be effective communication back and forth between doctor and patient.  Success being determined by the relationship that the doctor creates with the patient and the patient’s knowledge of their condition based on the information given.  One thing that medical professionals should continue to strive for improvement on is improving their communication with patients.

We have all had the doctor where it seems as though they talk more into their voice recorder or computer than to you.  By talking to the patient, it makes them feel at ease and have trust in the doctor that is examining or treating them.  Some methods that have proven successful in improving conversations are incredibly simple things that go a long way.

–Sitting down during encounters with patients
–Listening
–Showing empathy and respect
–Treating the patient as a person and not their disease or condition
–Informing patients of their options in treatment care
–Involving patients in decisions regarding their treatment
–Demonstrating sensitivity

Some of the blame on communication failing recently has to be the way that technology advances within the medical community.  Another area is that where doctors are more focused on producing a medical article about a disease to advance their careers, and losing focus on the patients themselves.  Doctors can become consumed by the projects that they are researching and looking to produce results from for their own gain.  If the doctors start to remember that without the patients that they have they would not be able to be involved in this particular area of study.