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Category: December 2021

To wrap up the year, we asked our members what tips they had for good patient communication. From drawing pictures to maintaining eye contact, our members agree that making your patient feel heard and understood is the most important goal.

Hire a Scribe

By Dori Cage, MD Interrupt less After making a conscious effort to interrupt less and listen to the patient’s story, I was pleasantly surprised how often the patient would succinctly provide relevant information and often answer questions that I had not thought to ask. It is during the period when patients seem to ramble that […]

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Becoming Your Patient

By James H. Calandruccio, MD ‘Becoming your patient’ is my single best tip for good patient communication.   As health care providers we must use communication methods suitable for each individual patient which can be, I believe, essentially becoming your patient.   Regardless of the problem(s) that your patient may have, becoming that patient should allow you […]

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Kindness

By Sandra Collins, MD I had the great fortune to spend a year with Dr. James R. Urbaniak at the end of my training.  He was an outstanding mentor and an even better human being.  After a particularly trying day of clinic, I asked him, “Boss, how are you so patient and nice to everyone?”  […]

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Drawing Pictures

By William K. Feinstein, MD The importance of good communication with patients cannot be overestimated.  I find it to be extremely important in the treatment process, not only for patient compliance, but also for the patient’s overall treatment experience.  If the patient feels like he/she is able to communicate well back and forth with the treating […]

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Imparting Information

By Sheri B. Feldscher OTR/L, CHT Communication is defined as “the imparting or exchanging of information.” My best tip for good patient communication is to first listen to your patients. Listen to what is most important to them and what they plan to do upon leaving the clinic. Then I include that personalized information into my instructions […]

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Patient Decision-Making

By Hiroyuki Hashizume, MD Patient communication is one of the most important parts of surgery as well as diagnosis and treatment. My best tip for good communication with patients is ultimately about providing the best medical care. You need to be close to the patient’s story and understand his or her suffering. Furthermore, we should […]

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Two Important Aspects

By Hui-Kuang Huang, MD My hand surgery journey began in a medical center in Taiwan, where I initially had my medical practice (https://www.vghtpe.gov.tw/). Then, I moved back to my hometown and worked in a regional hospital for the next 10 years (http://www.cych.org.tw/). Having worked in a medical center and a big regional hospital, I believe […]

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Celebrate the “Wins”

By Stephen A. Kennedy, MD, FRCSC One tip for good patient communication is to celebrate “wins” with patients by acknowledging the time and work that they make toward their success. At one point when I was visiting the dentist for a checkup myself, I realized that when my dentist told me “good job” for flossing, […]

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Making Time to Focus

By Abram Kirschenbaum, MD In a busy hand surgery practice, good communication sometimes depends on being able to do more than one thing at a time. I run very hands-on, small-shop office hours. By this I mean I often draw up my own injections after interviewing and examining a patient, which frees staff members to attend […]

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Benefits of Virtual Reality

By Christopher Klifto, MD Virtual reality (VR) is simulation technology that allows users to become immersed in and interact with a 3D, computer-generated environment in real time. The concept of VR has been discussed in the context of medical and surgical education for decades. As work hour restrictions continue to change, there is a need for […]

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