Show 1088: How Good Communication Makes Health Care Better

When your doctor speaks, do you understand what you are hearing? Do you know how to describe your health problem so your doctor will "get it"?

Why Communication Is Critical:

Communication between doctors and patients is at the heart of health care. It is essential for accurate diagnosis, and crucial for patients to understand the treatment being offered so they can follow it. Doctors may need to listen especially carefully to learn the reasons that a patient decided not to follow through.

The Value of Clear Communication:

Despite time pressure, careful communication can help reduce medical errors. Even when errors occur, honest explanations and apologies reduce the likelihood of malpractice suits.

How can you learn to communicate your questions and concerns more clearly? Dr. Danielle Ofri offers advice.

This Week's Guest:

Danielle Ofri, MD, PhD, is a physician at Bellevue Hospital, the oldest public hospital in the country, and associate professor of medicine at NYU. She writes about medicine and the doctor-patient connection for the New York Times, and other publications.

Dr. Ofri is co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of the Bellevue Literary Review, the first literary journal to arise from a medical setting. She is the author of a collection of books about the world of medicine. Dr. Ofri's most recent book is What Patients Say, What Doctors Hear. You can sign up to receive her monthly newsletter about medicine and the doctor-patient connection at DanielleOfri.com