Bernard Ho, St George's, University of London

This book is amazing for two groups: 1) those that have not paid any attention in communication skills classes 2) those that really want that extra 'boost' in their communication skills The different chapters in the book touches a variety of topics and gives you a very practical approach to communicating with patients, with sample scripts that demonstrate the points the authors want to make. There are also 'think boxes' for you to to contemplate as you read the chapter. Although this is not a book for one to bring onto wards, i would highly recommend this book for anyone that wants a quick read on how to brush up their communication skills and to gain some practical points to practice the next time they talk to their patients.

Posted 26th Oct 2010

Dominic Haigh, University of Birmingham

The Medical Defence Union and the Medical Protection Society advise that most lawsuits brought against doctors are due to a failure in communication, rather than an adverse medical incident per se. It would therefore seem to be be worth assessing the communication skills of medical students before they qualify as doctors and giving them some sort of training. In the 1970s, teaching of communication skills in medical school was purportedly one session on how to tell people they were going to die from cancer. Nowadays, it is a much bigger part of the undergraduate curriculum. At my medical school, students are vetted soon after beginning clinical training and offered additional training if it is felt to be needed. The authors point out that communication is part of the cure. Voltaire said that, “The art of medicine consists of amusing the patient, while nature cures the disease.” Indeed, one the main drivers for consultation with complementary and alternative medicine practitioners in the country is the length of the appointments. Whereas a consultation with a General Practitioner will last around 7 minutes, crystal therapists and their ilk have more time to dedicate to individual patients. This book includes marking sheets for assessment of the communication skills of those and others in a similar way to which they are assessed in medical students and MRCGP candidates and suggestions for further reading. If you have any interest in understanding what makes patients tick or simply want to hone your communication skills, this is a good place to start.

Posted 3rd Jul 2010