Talking with patients from Howlong to the Himalayas - do all our patients want us to be patient centred?
Patient centred communication is an important feature of general practice training. It is cited by general practitioners as one of the defining features of our specialty. However, many doctors are not convinced that this approach is always suitable. This article highlights the range of expectations that patients have toward communication styles. The experience of researching this topic in Nepal has confirmed this diversity for me. We need to have various communication styles at our disposal so that we can engage as many of our patients as possible.
Moore
Malcolm
M
Department of Family Medicine, BPKIHS, Dharan, Nepal. malnepal@hotmail.com
D003142:Communication; D006801:Humans; D009390:Nepal; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D018802:Patient-Centered Care; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D010821:Physicians, Family