A medical educator recently gave me some feedback from her students on a talk I’d given: “They thought you had many great points about communicating with patients, and liked the point you made about cell phones.” As a literacy researcher and educator, I have spent years talking with folks about health literacy. My emphasis is on […]
When it feels like a culture gap between you and your patient
I am continuously meeting providers who are seeking out new ways to connect meaningfully with patients. The practitioners I meet want to be able to speak clearly and convincingly to any patient. Even–and especially–when there are significant cultural differences. Some of them have told me they feel like a better doctor when they can share […]
From “pee-pee” to “pee” to “urine:” how words work in health
I get to say ‘pee pee’ a lot in this episode about improving patient communication. You’ll learn: some of what we take for granted when we speak the work that words do in health-related conversations 3 things you can do to improve your communication with your next patient. EPISODE TRANSCRIPT Hi. I’m Dr. Anne Marie […]
25 different ways to elicit important information
I recently heard a Family Practice Physician comment on the importance of follow-up questions. He mentioned how it’s easy to ask a patient, “Do you smoke?” and if their answer is “no,” to move on to the next issue. He said providers were “missing opportunities for follow up questions,” even though the patient had said […]
“I can’t follow my patient home:” how context matters in health communication & education
I was coaching a physician on making his patient education more effective. He was understandably frustrated, as many physicians are, over the short amount of time he has with each patient. We talked about the many constraints around patient education. His voice raised and he sounded exasperated: “I can’t follow my patient home!” There are […]
How to ditch the deficit perspective
A deficit perspective relates to the common tendency to see someone different than us as someone less than us. In this episode, you’ll learn about how common deficit perspectives are in health care some of the damage they can do two things you can do to turn away from a deficit perspective in your practice. […]