title: Words: the "drug" with the highest frequency of dispensing errors.
abstract: Effective communication is the key component of every patient-physician encounter and is essential for shared decision-making. "Words" are perhaps the most frequently dispensed "drug," while communication is the most frequently performed "procedure" in emergency medicine. Yet, communication skills are often learned by trial and error, as opposed to the methodical approach followed for teaching all other technical procedures. The case presented below highlights the importance of incorporating effective communication skills as tools for our daily practice.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine UMDNJ-NJMS, Newark, NJ, USA. lambasa@umdnj.edu
authors.forename: Sangeeta
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lamba
mesh_terms: D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003142:Communication; D004417:Dyspnea / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D004635:Emergency Medicine; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010358:Patient Participation; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D016414:Resuscitation Orders