Doctor - Patient Communication Key skills for an effective relationship

1. Doctor - Patient CommunicationKey skills for an effective relationship Laurence H. Baker PhD Bakerlh@teleport.com

2. Key Communication Skills • Make a personal connection • Empathy • Reflective listening • Agenda setting

3. Communication Matters • Health outcomes • Diagnostic accuracy • Adherence or concordance • Patient satisfaction • Clinician satisfaction • Complaints and litigation

4. Communication Affects Health Outcomes • Emotional health • Symptom resolution • Functional status • Physiological measures • Blood pressure • HbA1C

5. Co-Creating an Agenda • Demonstrates interest in patient’s concerns • Plan the use of time in the visit • Promotes successful use of EHR • Appeals to clinician WIFM

6. Steps to followPhase I: The Patient’s View • Brief, warm social connection • Orienting statement by doctor • Eliciting patient’s agenda • Review MA’s entry • Review patient’s form

7. Steps to followPhase II: Clarify and Negotiate • Triage to assess priority • Clinician’s items (e.g., foot exam) • Negotiating “final” agenda

8. Co-Creating an Agenda Demonstration

9. Supporting Clinician Change • As with patients, knowledge is not sufficient • Address clinicians’ WIFM • Individualize goals • Practice, practice, practice • Reminders and follow-up leverage the investment

10. Questions