It’s the time of year when we like to look back, and look forward. We set goals. We assess where we’ve been, where we are, where we’d like to be. But in health care, assessment and evaluation has a decidedly harder edge. One nurse manager in a physician practice told me, in passing, “I’m kind […]
What are you trying to teach your patient?
When’s the last time you thought about your goals for educating a patient? Really and honestly? As no-brainer as it may seem, you’d be surprised what you can gain from stopping and thinking about your patient education goals. Doing so can save you time and frustration. In this episode, you’ll learn: why thinking about goals […]
Infographic: Quickly assess your patient communication
What do I need to know about communication to be better at it? I hear this question, in one form or another, when speaking with health care professionals. And there’s no wonder why. When you’re dealing with so much complexity, your words have got to be clear. Getting a grip on your patient communication is essential. […]
What is the emotional impact of your patient communication?
A physician was telling me about a total patient communication fail. He did not know it was a fail, until a resident jumped in and saved the day. He laughed, recounting the scene to me. He thought he was doing fine. He thought he was being clear. But when he heard the resident’s language, he […]
4 benefits to eliciting patient knowledge
Einstein famously promoted the value of curiosity, in life and in scientific endeavor. This episode asks you to try taking an attitude of curiosity–toward patient knowledge. Patient or ‘lay’ knowledge is an important part of patient communication. And wow, does it vary widely. I’m inviting you to think about how you take up and make […]
Laser-focus your patient education efforts with this one question
Many physicians have talked with me about improving their patient education. This makes sense; it’s a topic tightly woven together with patient communication and health literacy. So, several months ago I wrote “5 steps to improve your patient education.” It’s a quick fly-over of many educational strategies. I promised I would gradually dive deeper into […]