Advice to Physicians: Communication
| Advice | Recommendations* |
|---|---|
| * Includes illustrative, verbatim quotes from patients’ open-ended responses. | |
| Ask | Ask! |
| Ask—get involved | |
| Be assertive in looking for problems | |
| Probe and ask | |
| Don’t let them lie about it; get to the bottom of it | |
| Listen | Listen! |
| While the doctor cannot be a cure-all, a sympathetic ear helps a lot | |
| Be willing to listen if you ask. Take time to hear it out | |
| Listen to what people aren’t saying | |
| Other communication skills | Be objective |
| Establish comfortable relationship first | |
| Ask if they can help, but do not insist or demand | |
| Keep talking on equal grounds | |
| Don’t look down on patients | |
| Don’t try to take sides based on one person’s input | |