Annals of SBV

Register      Login

VOLUME 9 , ISSUE 2 ( July-December, 2020 ) > List of Articles

COMMENTARY

Communication Skills: The Lifeline of Health Care

Dhastagir S Sheriff

Citation Information : Sheriff DS. Communication Skills: The Lifeline of Health Care. 2020; 9 (2):56-59.

DOI: 10.5005/jp-journals-10085-8128

License: CC BY-NC 4.0

Published Online: 01-12-2020

Copyright Statement:  Copyright © 2020; The Author(s).


Abstract

The word infodemic is a blending of two words information and pandemic. Modern information technologies have mixed facts with fear, speculation, and rumor that has caught the world with information overflow. Medicine is an art and science. Uncertainty is one of the key principles of medicine. “Medicine is a science of uncertainty and an art of probability” mused William Osler. The information collected from available data from world regulatory bodies of public health reflects the nature and importance of uncertainty with newer facts emerging from more studies regarding the virus and the disease. The indirect gesture of a leader not wearing a face mask projected by social media negatively influences ordinary people to decide whether to wear a mask or not. The 100-day agenda of President-elect Joe Biden of the USA mandates that every citizen wear a face mask after millions of US citizens were infected by coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). Social media have a more social responsibility to relay true information regarding the wearing of face masks. The process of communication regarding the pandemic like any other research question must go through tests of veracity, validation, and reliability. As health issues have become a global phenomenon, social media need to have a physician-scientist to verify the information to be relayed. It will be more effective if that information is communicated by a physician forming the media team, say a TV channel. The art of communication skills relating to pandemics needs to be taught and trained to disseminate facts by social media.


HTML PDF Share
  1. Department of Global Communications. UN tackles ‘infodemic’ of misinformation and cybercrime in COVID-19 crisis. New York: United Nations; 2020.
  2. Prakash B. Patient satisfaction. J Cutan Aesthetic Surg 2010;3(3):151–155. DOI: 10.4103/0974-2077.74491.
  3. Boudreaux ED, Mandry CV, Wood K. Patient satisfaction data as a quality indicator: a tale of two emergency departments. Acade Emerg Med 2003;10(3):261–268. DOI: 10.1197/aemj.10.3.261.
  4. Bischoff A, Perneger TV, Bovier PA, Loutan L, Stalder H. Improving communication between physicians and patients who speak a foreign language. Br J Gen Pract 2003;53(492):541–546.
  5. Brock D. Interprofessional education in team communication: working together to improve patient safety. Postgrad Med J 2013;89(1057):642–651. DOI: 10.1136/postgradmedj-2012-000952rep.
  6. Arora N. Interacting with cancer patients: the significance of physicians’ communication behavior. Soc Sci Med 2003;57(5):791–806. DOI: 10.1016/S0277-9536(02)00449-5.
  7. Stewart MA. Effective physician-patient communication and health outcomes: a review. CMAJ 1995;152(9):1423–1433.
  8. Roter DL. Physician/patient communication: transmission of information and patient effects. Md State Med J 1983;32(4):260–265.
  9. Lee SJ, Back AL, Block SD, Stewart SK. Enhancing physician- patient communication. Hematol Am Soc Hematol Educ Prog 2002;1(1):464–483. DOI: 10.1182/asheducation-2002.1.464.
  10. Platt FW, Keating KN. Differences in physician and patient perceptions of uncomplicated UTI symptom severity: understanding the communication gap. Int J Clin Prac 2007;61(2):303–308. DOI: 10.1111/j.1742-1241.2006.01277.x.
  11. Henrdon J, Pollick K. Continuing concerns, new challenges, and next steps in physician-patient communication. J Bone Joint Surg Am 2002;84-A(2):309–315.
  12. Stewart M, Brown JB, Donner A, Mc Whinney IR, Oates J, Weston WW, et al. The impact of patient-centered care on outcomes. J Fam Pract 2000;49(9):796–804.
  13. Hall JA, Roter DL, Rand CS. Communication of affect between patient and physician. J Health Soc Behav 1981;22(1):18–30 Duffy FD, Gordon GH, Whelan G, Cole-Kelly K, Frankel R, Buffone N, et al. Assessing competence in communication and interpersonal skills: the Kalamazoo II report. Acad Med 2004;79(6):495–507.
  14. Fentiman IS. Communication with older breast cancer patients. Breast J 2007;13(4):406–409. DOI: 10.1111/j.1524-4741.2007.00449.x.
  15. Alazri MH, Neal RD. The association between satisfaction with services provided in primary care and outcomes in Type 2 diabetes mellitus. Diabetes Med 2003;20(6):486–490. DOI: 10.1046/j.1464-5491.2003.00957.x.
  16. Chiò A, Montuschi A, Cammarosano S, De Mercanti S, Cavallo E, Ilardi A, et al. ALS patients and caregivers communication preferences and information seeking behaviour. Eur J Neurol 2008;15(1):55–60. DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-1331.2008.02143.x.
  17. Baile WF, Buckman R, Lenzi R, Glober G, Beale EA, Kudelka AP. SPIKES—a six-step protocol for delivering bad news: application to the patient with cancer. Oncologist 2000;5(4):302–311. DOI: 10.1634/theoncologist.5-4-302.
  18. The AM, Hak T, Koëter G, van Der Wal G. Collusion in doctor- patient communication about imminent death: an ethnographic study. BMJ 2000;321(7273):1376–1381. DOI: 10.1136/bmj.321.7273.1376.
  19. Roter DL, Hall JA, Aoki Y. Physician gender effects in medical communication: a meta-analytic review. JAMA 2002;288(6):756–764. DOI: 10.1001/jama.288.6.756.
  20. Harms C, Young JR, Amsler F, Zettler C, Scheidegger D, Kindler CH. Improving anaesthetists’ communication skills. Anaesthesia 2004;59(2):166–172. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2044.2004.03528.x.
  21. Bensing JM, Sluijs EM. Evaluation of an interview training course for general practitioners. Soc Sci Med 1985;20(7):737–744. DOI: 10.1016/0277-9536(85)90064-4.
  22. Brown JB, Boles M, Mullooly JP, Levinson W. Effect of clinician communication skills training on patient satisfaction: a randomized, controlled trial. Ann Intern Med 1999;131(11):822–829. DOI: 10.7326/0003-4819-131-11-199912070-00004.
  23. Feudtner C. Collaborative communication in pediatric palliative care: a foundation for problem-solving and decision-making. Pediatr Clin North Am 2007;54(5):583–607. DOI: 10.1016/j.pcl.2007.07.008.
  24. Minhas R. Does copying clinical or sharing correspondence to patients result in better care? Int J Clin Prac 2007;61(8):1390–1395. DOI: 10.1111/j.1742-1241.2007.01432.x.
  25. Brédart A, Bouleuc C, Dolbeault S. Doctor-patient communication and satisfaction with care in oncology. Curr Opin Oncol 2005;17(14):351–354. DOI: 10.1097/01.cco.0000167734.26454.30.
  26. Tongue JR, Epps HR, Forese LL. Communication skills for patient- centered care: research-based, easily learned techniques for medical interviews that benefit orthopaedic surgeons and their patients. J Bone Joint Surg Am 2005;87(3):652–658. DOI: 10.2106/00004623-200503000-00027.
  27. Parker SM, Clayton JM, Hancock K, Walder S, Butow PN, Carrick S, et al. A systematic review of prognostic/end-of-life communication with adults in the advanced stages of life-limiting illness: patient/caregiver preferences for the content, style, and timing of information. J Pain Symptom Manage 2007;3(1):81–93. DOI: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2006.09.035.
  28. Jahan F, Siddiqui H. Good communication between doctor-patient improves health outcome. EJMED 2019. DOI: 10.24018/ejmed.2019.1.4.84.
  29. Girón M, Manjón-Arce P, Puerto-Barber J, Sánchez-García E, Gómez-Beneyto M. Clinical interview skills and identification of emotional disordes in primary care. Am J Psychiatry 1998;155(4):530–535. DOI: 10.1176/ajp.155.4.530.
  30. Suarez-Almazor ME. Patient-physician communication. Curr Opin Rheumatol 2004;16(2):91–95. DOI: 10.1097/00002281-200403000-00003.
  31. Skea Z, Harry V, Bhattacharya S, Entwistle V, Williams B, MacLennan G, et al. Women's perceptions of decision-making about hysterectomy. BJOG 2004;111(2):133–142. DOI: 10.1046/j.1471-0528.2003.00027.x.
  32. Clack GB, Allen J, Cooper D, Head JO. Personality differences between doctors and their patients: implications for the teaching of communication skills. Med Educ 2004;38(2):177–186. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2923.2004.01752.x.
  33. Warnecke E. The art of communication. Australian Family Doctor 2014;43(3):158–158.
  34. Diette GB, Rand C. The contributing role of health-care communication to health disparities for minority patients with asthma. Chest 2007;132(5 Suppl):802S–809S. DOI: 10.1378/chest.07-1909.
PDF Share
PDF Share

© Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers (P) LTD.