Patient-centered communication: what are the basic skills?

Communication skills needed for patient-centered care include:- eliciting the patient's agenda with open-ended questions, especially early on- not interrupting the patient- engaging in focused active listeningPractice this at least in the first 60-seconds, the so-called "golden minute".Understand patient's perspectiveUnderstanding the patient's perspective of the illness and expressing empathy are key features of patient-centered communication.Understanding the patient's perspective entails exploring the patient's:- feelings- ideas- concerns- experience regarding the impact of the illness- expectations from the physicianPatient-centered communication - basic skills (click here to enlarge the image).EmpathyEmpathy can be expressed by:- naming the feeling- communicating understanding, respect, and support- exploring the patient's illness experience and emotionsBefore and after a diagnosisBefore revealing a new diagnosis, the patient's prior knowledge and preferences for the depth of information desired should be assessed.After disclosing a diagnosis, physicians should explore the patient's emotional response.Treatment optionsShared decision making empowers patients by inviting them to consider:- pros and cons of different treatment options- no treatmentInstead of overwhelming the patient with medical information, small chunks of data should be provided using repeated cycles of the "ask-tell-ask" approach. Using "tell-tell-tell" does not engage patients.Example:1. Ask permission...

Source: Clinical Cases and Images - Blog - January 17, 2017 Category: Universities & Medical Training Authors: noreply at blogger.com (Ves Dimov) Tags: Communication Patients Source Type: blogs