Does your doctor understand?

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Does your doctor understand?

Contributed by: Jonas I. Bromberg, Psy.D.

Published: July 29, 2008

Reviewed and approved by: Corsini, MSW, May 2008

How

can you talk so that your health care provider really understands your

needs? Good communication involves both speaking and listening. Some

people are great speakers and poor listeners, while others are great

listeners and poor speakers. If people don’t both speak and listen,

communication will not be successful.

How good communication helps patientsGood

communication helps you get the information you need to become actively

involved in your medical care. Information is a basic building block to

getting the knowledge that gives you the power to prepare for care, to

feel more confident, and improve your ability to make good medical

decisions.

What health care providers expect from patientsSince

communication is a two-way street, patients and providers each have a

responsibility to keep the flow of communication clear. Here are common

expectations that doctors have of patients:

Keep your provider informed and do not hide information.

Whether you are in pain, not taking your medication regularly, or

adding alternative treatments, providers expect you to be honest when

you tell them what is going on. It saves valuable time when your

provider doesn’t have to dig for information.

Let your provider know if you are having difficulties.

Providers know that coping with illness can be emotionally challenging.

Ask for help. Providers can only help you get the support you need if

they know there is a problem.

Know when to get help.

Learn what medical issues you can and cannot manage on your own.

Patients and providers should discuss this early in their relationship.

Understand your health insurance coverage.

Learn the basic language of the insurance world. Know what medical care

is covered and what is not covered. Learn when you need prior approval.

This helps you communicate with your provider and advocate for yourself

with your insurer.

Teach your provider about you.

Let your providers know who you are as a person. Although visits are

short, it is important to take the time to let your provider learn

about you.Barriers to good patient-provider communicationThe

greatest communication problem is thinking that communication is

simple, and does not require much thought or practice. Unfortunately,

like any skill, good communication takes practice. Either the speaker

or the listener can throw up barriers to communication. These are three

common barriers.

1. Not being prepared

You may have no control over where and when you get important medical

information. You may be so unprepared that you miss the message, or

become distracted and lose concentration. If you feel unprepared for

important medical information:

Ask for the information to be repeated, or ask for it in writingAsk for a second

meeting when you feel more preparedHave a relative or friend help you prepare

for the meeting, or go with youWrite down your questions ahead of timeFocus on

what is most important to you right nowThink about who you are communicating

with, and what communication style works best2. Sending/receiving an unclear

message

Understanding begins with listening carefully and showing this by

making eye contact. Communication can break down when one person does

not understand the words used by the other person. Health care

providers may use technical terms that are unfamiliar to patients. Ask,

if you don’t understand something. One way to check whether you

understood what you heard is to repeat it back in your own words, and

then ask if it is correct. When you don’t understand:

Ask for a clearer explanationAsk for help in learning the medical words that

have been usedRemember, providers expect these types of questions

3. Misreading body language

Body language, such as gestures, posture, and facial expressions, along

with words, are important to good communication. It can be confusing to

the listener if someone smiles when delivering bad news, or looks sad

when giving good news. This happens more when you communicate with

people you don’t know very well. Fatigue and stress can also interfere

with the ability to listen, and cause a person to depend more on how

something is said, rather than what is said. To avoid misunderstandings:Be aware

of what you are communicating with your body languageLearn to recognize how body

language influences or interferes with communicationAsk if you are reading body

language correctlySummary

An

important foundation of good medical care is the patient-provider

relationship. Clear communication improves the relationship and the

care you receive. Get to know your health care providers and help them

get to know you. You will be pleased by how confident you’ll feel when

you have a solid relationship with your health care providers.

References

Patient-Doctor Talk Tool, Part 1

We've been learning about good ways to speak with health care providers to get

the results that you want. The next screen opens a tool with some extra

suggestions that you might find helpful during your appointments.

Eight topics are discussed in the tool:

Understanding Each Other

Sharing Feelings

Including Family Members

Writing Things Down

Second Opinions

Asking Questions

Talking about Money

When You Don’t Always Follow Medical Advice

http://www.painaction.com/members/lesson.aspx?id=1936

Sadly I have lost my sound and am trying to fix this but the link will get you

where you need to go...........

Communication Tips

Every

minute spent with your doctor offers clues about the strength of your

relationship. Strong and healthy communication should include:

A feeling of mutual respect Good listening skills – on both sides An ability to

talk about medical subjects that might be embarrassing Comfort with sharing

personal feelings An open, trusting atmosphere Support of requests for a second

opinion on treatments or procedures

And your appointments will go more smoothly if you take the following steps:

Write down any questions in advance and ask the most important one(s) at the

beginning of your appointment.

Bring a family member with you as a “second set of ears” for the doctor’s

instructions.

Write

information down to bring home with you, or ask if it’s okay to make an

audio recording of what the doctor says during the appointment for

later reference.

If you don’t understand what

your doctor is saying, ask him to explain it again in simpler language.

Less than 2% of doctors take the time to find out if their patients

understand their instructions. Make it your responsibility to ask for more

information if you need it.

Summary

Any

relationship that’s worth having takes work – and that includes the

relationship that you have with your healthcare provider. What helps to

keep the lines of communication open?

Always tell your doctor the truth, even if it’s not pretty.

Learn about your illness.

Learn the basics about your health insurance coverage: what’s covered and what’s

not.

Understand that there are some questions that even doctors can’t answer.

Tell

your doctor at least one important fact about your life at each

appointment. He or she may offer some health-related information that

could help you.

Remember that there are no stupid questions! Be sure to speak up: Even if your

questions seem embarrassing Any time that you don’t understand your care

provider’s instructions or explanations If you feel that you need extra

emotional support