How the ‘good patient’ role can get in the way of good communication

Are you a good patient? Yes, you’re health professionals, and you’re also patients. The concept of “a good patient” has been around for decades. Today we’re going to look into it with a real patient story, some research and concrete things you can do as a professional to help keep the good patient from getting […]

Dr. Lachelle Dawn Weeks, MD, PhD is a hematologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. She directs the Dana-Farber CHIP Clinic and is the principal investigator of The Weeks Lab.  Dr. Weeks is among the less than 2% of hematologists who are Black women. So over the last couple of years, she has made a decision to […]

Sometimes when I tell people I work on communication and healthcare, they think connectivity, like portals or messaging systems. And from that perspective, improving communication means more of it. It’s an understandable mix-up, and it points to an important distinction. Communication quantity is not the same as communication quality. Hi, everybody. This is 10 Minutes […]

This episode is for you if you’ve ever felt that particular kind of embarrassment that comes from realizing you missed something everyone else caught. Because this episode is about noticing our noticings. Hi, everybody. This is 10 Minutes to Better Patient Communication from Health Communication Partners. Since 2017, we’ve been giving you inspiration and strategies […]

Barley was so personable and social, I called her the Walmart greeter cat. She had to come and meet whoever was at the door. She’d make a fuss over them, and if you wanted to pet her, that would be great. She was a proper southern hostess and a belle of the ball. She was […]

It’s the anniversary of the passing of someone I was lucky to know: Nancy. Nancy died of cancer several years ago, and she had a big impact on my thinking about patient communication. To celebrate Nancy, I’ll share more of her story and the episode she inspired. Hi, everybody. This is 10 Minutes to Better […]

When you’re communicating with patients, or anyone, contextual factors have a huge impact on the quality of that communication. My guest today is Dr. Nkemdilim Ezeife. Dr. Ezeife is an internal medicine physician who’s focused on what he calls reducing communicative friction. He shares how he recognizes and manages some of the contextual factors that […]

I think the best communication skill you can possibly develop is curiosity. So today’s episode is going to be a little bit about that. How did you become the communicator that you are? How you can get better at it? Hi, everybody. This is 10 Minutes to Better Patient Communication from Health Communication Partners. Since […]

Uncertainty is genuinely tough to talk about. Add to that there’s different types of uncertainty, there’s pressures of different kinds around communicating about uncertainty, and the stakes are high for the patient’s health outcomes and for the therapeutic relationship. Fun times. So today’s episode, I’ll share some thoughts and three specific, concrete moves you can […]

I was recently talking to an oncologist about health communication when he mentioned The Pitt, that hit medical drama set in an emergency department in Pittsburgh. Now in its second season, the show prides itself on its accuracy and realism. I’ll share two things this oncologist thinks the show gets right related to communication. Hi, […]