Everyone is pressed for time in healthcare and effective communication has always been a top priority. Effective communication does not necessarily need to take more time to implement though.
As we learn on today’s podcast episode with Dr. George Mayzell, often it’s a matter of rephrasing things.
“We know folks are time pressured. We’re not trying to necessarily extend these conversations, we are trying to make it more efficient,” he told us.
Today’s podcast episode comes with a companion infographic with many suggestions for better using language when providing care and comfort to patients. We hope you will find it useful to read before or after listening to today’s episode with Dr. Mayzell. You can access it here.
Did you know? Effective physician-patient communication has been shown to positively influence health outcomes by increasing patient satisfaction, leading to greater patient understanding of health problems and treatments available, contributing to better adherence to treatment plans, and providing support and reassurance to patients.
For an effective communication example, Dr. Mayzell warns against interrupting the patient or speaking when they are trying to say something. He instead advises to:
- Demonstrate active listening.
- Listen to understand.
- Try not to plan your answer while you are listening.
- Let the patient talk.
Active listening can be a challenge as the average doctor interrupts the patient in 11 seconds, Dr. Mayzell told us.
“If a patient feels like you’ve heard them, you are going to get much better information. Ultimately it’s going to be a much better experience for you and the patient,” he said.
Listen to the podcast below: