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,...
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...
