Summary- Studies have been done analyzing how doctor's communicate with their patients, specifically Caucasian and African American doctors. In a study the author read, published in The Journal of General Internal Medicine, non-verbal communication of doctors can portray a lot about skills, comfort level, confidence, and personality about the doctor. The author explains how he knows of this fantastic African American doctor who specializes in brain tumors, who is very young and fresh out of school, yet he seems as though he has been working in the field for years. Though the author describes this doctor as brilliant, his communication skills fall short. When he converses with patients, he does not make eye contact and speaks with a very soft voice, creating skepticism of his abilities by the patient. Because a large number of physicians and health care providers, encounter the same difficulties as this doctor, we now question what steps should medical school take in order to increase the comfort level of communication among patient and doctor. However, teaching communication skills has been mandatory for medical schools; improved physician communication can lead to improved patient satisfaction and better healthcare outcomes. Now, schools has developed communication courses and workshops that combine lectures, self assessments, video recordings and "standardized patients" (actors who play the role of patients). Another issue seems to be communication among different races, ethnicities and social backgrounds. Therefore, cultural competency classes have been included to the list, in hopes of creating better communication skills.
Opinion- I found this article very interesting because many times I've heard of family members or just people in general (in person, on tv, etc.) complain of poor doctor/patient communication. Many patients seem to be displeased with their doctors because of poor communication skills, despite how brilliant of a doctor they may be. I feel this continues to be a large issue, despite medical school's efforts to improve these communication skills. There are only a hand full of doctors they are all around, good doctors (this includes knowledge and communication skills). Most doctors either have one or the other, rarely both. I agree with the author that improved social skills will improve the healthcare outcomes of many patients as well as satisfaction. This does not only apply to medical professions, but every profession out there today. Overall, people need to improve their communication skills in order for the best outcome.
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/09/what-doctors-are-telling-us-even-when-theyre-not-talking/?ref=health
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