Tag: communication
Why half our patients don’t tell their doctors life-threatening details
I recently read an article stating that nearly half of patients who were surveyed online admitted they don’t tell doctors potentially life-threatening details of their history. This figure may...
The power of communication in medicine
Medicine has a language all of its own – a combination of Ancient Greek, Latin, people’s names, made-up words and acronyms – but what is the purpose of that...
A Touching New York Story
This piece is a departure from my usual missives on physician health and suicide. I want to share an experience I’m sure many readers have had, perhaps in a...
The Nocebo Effect
I read an article (1) recently on the nocebo effect, which is the opposite of the placebo effect. When a person expects a side-effect of a medication or treatment,...
The Power of Communication – It may Heal or Harm
In the past weeks many of us watched the real life drama of the cave rescue in Thailand. The International team, who had never worked together, achieved what seemed...
Compassion, empathy and sympathy – what do they truly mean?
As a profession, medicine is beginning to be aware that we must care for the whole person, if we are to truly practise the art and science of our...
Listening with heart
“Listen to your patient; he is telling you the diagnosis.”
William Osler
Listening is an art and in clinical practice its value cannot be over emphasised. Learning to listen fully with...
