Talking to Your Doctor
A Patient's Guide to Communication in the Exam Room and Beyond
By (author) Zackary Berger
Not available to order
Publication date:
18 July 2013Length of book:
208 pagesPublisher
Rowman & Littlefield PublishersISBN-13: 9781442220515
The last time you went to your doctor, you might have emerged feeling dissatisfied and disoriented. Nothing was clear after you left the office, and you don’t know whether it’s your fault or the doctor’s. While patients need to take control of the visit and set their agenda, the latest research shows that doctors and patients need to connect on a more emotional level as well.
In Talking to Your Doctor, readers will learn to:
•Talk to your doctor—and get your doctor to talk to you
• Remake the relationship with your doctor, and our health care system, on the basis of good communication
•Make sure your visit with the doctor is productive and meets your needs
•Help yourself and others avoid over-testing and over-treatment
Starting with the conversation can redress imbalances and put the relationship of doctor and patient, and eventually the entire health care system, back on a healthy footing. Using illuminating model dialogues, real transcripts from the clinic and hospital, resources for communication improvement, and a brief history of doctor-patient communication, the author helps readers develop strategies for obtaining better care from their doctors, from the minute they step into the exam room.
In Talking to Your Doctor, readers will learn to:
•Talk to your doctor—and get your doctor to talk to you
• Remake the relationship with your doctor, and our health care system, on the basis of good communication
•Make sure your visit with the doctor is productive and meets your needs
•Help yourself and others avoid over-testing and over-treatment
Starting with the conversation can redress imbalances and put the relationship of doctor and patient, and eventually the entire health care system, back on a healthy footing. Using illuminating model dialogues, real transcripts from the clinic and hospital, resources for communication improvement, and a brief history of doctor-patient communication, the author helps readers develop strategies for obtaining better care from their doctors, from the minute they step into the exam room.
There are many reasons that poorer people are sicker people, but one that's often overlooked is miscommunication between doctors and their poorest, most marginalized patients. While it's usually the case that doctors are from Mars and patients from Venus, this is especially the case when there are gaps in language, culture, education and class. In Talking to Your Doctor, Zackary Berger shows us how to turn those all-too-brief and awkward exchanges into a foundation for getting better.