“Pets don’t live as long as people do.” With this simple truth, Dr. Jane Shaw introduced me to the realities of end-of-life conversations in Veterinary Medicine. She added, “For us, end of life communication and practice is core to being a vet.” I was lucky enough to interview Dr. Shaw recently for our podcast series. […]
Infographic: 13 ways to reflect on patient/client communication
Here at Health Communication Partners, we think (and talk and write) about health communication all the time. It’s, y’know, in our name. Of all the possible ways of approaching the issue of communicating with patients, this is one of my favorites. That’s partly because when it comes to communicating as professionals, reflective practice can help […]
LGBTQ health disparities and microaggressions
June is Pride month, and a perfect time to think about the power of our everyday language. If you’ve read around this site or heard my podcast series, you know I’m one of the people interested in how health disparities are related to words, phrases and terms used around issues of health. So this is […]
How common terminology may perpetuate mental health stigma
A few weeks ago, I read a tweet from Dr. Javeed Sukhera about terminology and mental health. The tweet had ‘gone viral,’ and it’s stayed in my mind since then. Next time someone says "mental health" what if we took out "mental" and just said "health?" "I need time off for my health." "I need […]
How individual providers can help address health disparities
Addressing health disparities can seem overwhelming, especially at a time when health professionals are already under immense demands–and pressures to be almost superhuman. Yet often, the providers I talk to espouse values of equity and justice. National Minority Health Month draws attention to how Americans have experienced variable access to care based on race, ethnicity, socioeconomic […]
4 tips for sharing information with a patient or client
Last week, I was at the Chronic Disease Prevention Symposium, where I gave a plenary session on health literacy. After my talk, there was time for questions. Eventually, one physician raised his hand. Taking the microphone, he said he’d appreciated my talk. Then, he asked (as closely as I can recall): What if we need […]
