There may be many barriers to effective physician-patient communication. Patients may feel that they are wasting the physician's valuable time; omit details of their history which they deem unimportant; be embarrassed to mention things they think will place them in an unfavorable light; not understand medical terminology; or believe the physician has not really listened and, therefore, does not have the information needed to make good treatment decisions.
Several approaches can be used to facilitate open communication with a patient. Physicians should:
- sit down
- attend to patient comfort
- establish eye contact
- listen without interrupting
- show attention with nonverbal cues, such as nodding
- allow silences while patients search for words
- acknowledge and legitimize feelings
- explain and reassure during examinations
- ask explicitly if there are other areas of concern
