Good communication between a physician and a patient significantly influences treatment results. However, the mutual expectations with which both parties enter the physician-patient relationship are not always fulfilled when moving further and it simply does not always go in the right direction.
Various researches show that majority of patients feel that their physician does not communicate with them the way they would like him to. Pharmaceutical companies keep on educating physicians about new drugs, new ways of treatment etc. and they are crying out for better patient compliance at the same time. Maybe educating physicians in the right way of communicating with patients could be the way forward.
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There are some rules and best practices that should be followed to reach the goals set.
What does the patient expect from the physician?
- promptness to help, sympathy and care
- quick diagnosis and effective follow-up
- professional medical confidentiality
- quick decision making and action
- personal relationship
What does the physician expect from the patient?
- timely notice of symptoms
- the truth
- compliance and cooperation in treatment
- following the therapy instructions
The physician shall lead a friendly and confidential talk with the patient.
The patient shall listen and conform to the physicians.
The most frequent mistakes and barriers in communication
“The self-diagnosed patient who knows the best”
It is definitely very helpful when patients do have a certain level of knowledge about a disease they suffer from. That is the goal of all disease awareness campaigns. However should the patient be too active in his own treatment or even diagnosing himself and should he enter physician’s office with this attitude, the physician’s authority in his eyes is decreased right from the beginning. It is then difficult to convince such a patient that it is the physician, who should say what the health problem is, how to diagnose it and ho to treat it.
“Patients waiting too long and examined too fast”
- Are patients waiting for the appointment with a physician for too long who are then examined in the office very quickly may feel frustrated and may even become suspicious that they are not receiving a sufficient care. The patient can underestimate his own health problem as a result of this lack of information and medical attention and the result can be low cooperation and will to compliance.
“Physician speaking a language that patient does not understand”
- Beware of speaking intelligibly with the patient! If your patient does not understand what you are saying he will never ask for more information. Use language of normal people without a lot of professional vocables. The patient will understand what you are saying and will be prompt to follow your words in treatment. Patients with good understanding are more likely to stick to their treatment.
“Over criticising the patient for a bad-lifestyle and non-compliance”
- Do not excess criticising your patients!
Patients make mistakes in treatment, they do not always live the way, they should in accordance with medical literature. Even though you know they should do more for their health to make the treatment deliver results, you can not be too hard on them and criticise them too much for every single mistake they make. They sometimes do not understand the consequences of their actions whether it’d be low compliance with their treatment or bad lifestyle habits. You can explain and advice but you should avoid criticising or even screaming, shouting or insulting them. Physicians are professionals, who do their best, but can not control people who do not want to cooperate as much as it can be frustrating.
Both, patients and physician are only human beings. Being a physician does not mean you can not find yourself standing on the other side the next minute and becoming a patient, lying in bed and suffering. Keep the principles of humanity and work with emotional intelligence and empathy.