Doctors: It’s Not What You Say, But How You Say It

Today’s post originally ran on Better Health on December 28, 2015. Most physicians will be thrust into the role of patient or caregiver at some point during their careers. Unfortunately, it’s not until this occurs that many become fully aware of the finer points of excellent care and communication. Take for example, the simple act of reporting test results to a patient. We do this every day, but may not realize that how we frame the information is as important as the data themselves. I came to realize this on a recent hospital visit when I was in the role of healthcare proxy for a loved one with heart disease. Not only did various physicians present information with different degrees of optimism, but individual doctors presented things differently on different days…depending on (I guess) how tired/hurried they were. Consider these different messages with the same ejection fraction (EF – a measure of heart pump strength) and angiogram (heart vessel imaging) test results: Doctor 1: “I wish I had better news. The EF is lower than we thought. It is low because of your previous massive heart attack.” Doctor 2: “Although your EF is impaired, there’s a lot that can be done to improve pump function with medications.” Doctor 1 (different day): “On the other hand, the EF might be temporarily low because of your recent flu infection. It’s possible it will bounce back in a couple of months and you’ll be back to your usual self.” Doctor 2: “I’m not worrie...
Source: Disruptive Women in Health Care - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Health Professions Patients Source Type: blogs