T. Gordon, W.Sterling Edwards "Talk to the Patient".

Title: Talking to Patients: A Guide to Improving Communication Skills and Building Partnerships Authors: Thomas Gordon, W. Sterling Edwards Original title: Making the Patient Your Partner: Communication Skills for Doctors and Other Caregivers. Year of publication: 2009 Description: Recently, the media has frequently covered topics related to doctors’ incompetence, poor treatment of patients, and issues with diagnosis and treatment. Patients usually blame doctors for this, while doctors refer to them as "difficult patients." The authors of this handbook have examined these issues in great depth. Already in the first chapter, one of the fundamental causes of this situation is identified—the lack of skills among healthcare professionals to establish appropriate rapport with patients. And this skill is sometimes very easy to acquire and apply, thereby changing the current situation. The handbook contains numerous real-life examples, as well as a wealth of scientific evidence in the form of citations and references to other scholarly works on the subject. It also offers some simple solutions that can be used to turn a hostile patient into a friend. Just two additional questions during the interview can make the patient smile and help the doctor reach a diagnosis faster. However, the handbook is written in difficult language. As I flipped through the pages, I had the impression that I was reading an insightful and detailed scientific paper. It’s a shame it lacks a light touch, because the content is very valuable. Nevertheless, I recommend this book to every medical professional so that they can “communicate more easily” in the future.