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Talking with Your Health Care Provider
Tips for better communication
Sep 16, 2009
Nov 30, 2023
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You're sitting on the cold table in the medical examining room. You've been staring at the walls for what seems like eons. Finally, your health care professional enters, flips open your chart, asks some "yes or no" questions, examines you quickly, writes a few notes and is gone again. You get dressed and leave.
You and your medical professional (doctor, nurse-practitioner or nurse) have just missed an important opportunity to safeguard and improve your health. Because the two of you are partners in your care, or should be, you both need to participate actively in that relationship.
That means talking—and listening—back and forth, sharing information and decision-making. Good communications between patients and professionals have been shown to result in better health outcomes, greater trust and more commitment to treatment that works.
"What we have is a conversation, an activity that requires cooperation and coordination, like touch dancing," says Richard L. Street, Jr., PhD, professor and head, Department of Communication, Texas A&M University. "Because this is a conversation, the patient is a person who can exert a great deal of control over what happens."
Smoothing the way
Some medical encounters don't feel like coordinated partnerships. Communication may be blocked by barriers such as cultural differences, medical jargon that's difficult to understand or personality conflicts.
Scheduling pressures also work against efforts to connect. "Sometimes time is our mutual enemy," says Judith Chamberlain, MD, FAAFP, board member of the American Academy of Family Physicians, who practices in Brunswick, ME. "We often do not have the luxury to spend a long time getting to know each other before having to deal with sensitive issues."
When you have a choice, the right health care professional can boost your chances of success. That means shopping for one with at least the same amount of effort you put into buying a major appliance.
"Find a provider that you're comfortable with, that's the first thing. You shouldn't be afraid to tell your provider anything," says Mary Ellen Roberts, RN, APNC, MSN, FAANP, president of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, who practices in Belleville, NJ. Ms. Roberts suggests talking with neighbors, co-workers and friends for recommendations. Be sure to ask how supportive those professionals are with their patients.
Becoming a more active patient
Okay, so you didn't go to medical or nursing school, but you have an equally legitimate role in the health care partnership. "As the patient, you are the expert in what you think and what your body feels. You are the owner of that information," says Paul Haidet, MD, MPH, a physician at the Michael DeBakey Medical Center and director of the "How to Talk to Your Doctor" program at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
That means you should, can and must speak up and have your views heard. Dr. Chamberlain suggests writing a letter if you're uncomfortable saying something face-to-face.
Why is it up to you? "In terms of changing communication behaviors, it's probably easier to target the patient's side than the doctor's side," Dr. Haidet says. "Doctors have been acculturated into a process that makes them hear only their voice. They have trouble hearing other voices. That's not to say that they won't—if the other voice shows up."
Of course, there are patient-centered health care professionals who want patients to participate fully in the relationship and communicate freely. If you feel you're being ignored, be assertive and take an active role in order to be heard. You may need to speak up more than once.
Speaking up also helps avoid health care mistakes, such as medication errors, surgery to the wrong area and problems in follow-up treatment.
Tips for better communication