Making the Patient Your Partner. Communication Skills for Doctors and Other Caregivers

This book teaches physicians communication skills that will improve relationships with patients and increase the effectiveness of treatment programmes. Healthcare professionals need to learn communication skills to create collaborative and mutually satisfying relationships with patients. Lack of effective communication between doctors and patients results in non-adherence to recommendations, lawsuits, longer hospital stays and other negative consequences. Interpersonal skills can be easily learned by studying the techniques described by Gordon and Edwards. Using cases, interviews and sample dialogues, the authors present effective models and patterns of behaviour.... Gordon is a psychologist who has pioneered internationally recognised effectiveness training programmes widely used by teachers, parents, salespeople, managers and other professionals. He has published six books that have sold more than five million copies in 17 languages. In this work, he has drawn on the expertise of Edwards, a highly respected physician and educator, to provide essential insights into the medical profession.