Focus Rheums| Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde? (video)

An official publication of the ACR and the ARP serving rheumatologists and rheumatology professionals

Tips to Improve Communication with Colleagues & Patients

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Dr. Thomas offers three tips for effectively communicating with patients:

  1. Be clear: Present information to patients in easy-to-understand language, using as few medical terms as possible. When using a medical term, explain it clearly. Also, make sure to provide the reasons behind the recommendations you share;
  2. Talk about things that are under the patient’s control: Give patients hope. Let them know they can do many things to get better. Improving one’s health is not just about taking some pills prescribed by a doctor; and
  3. Provide a call to action: Give patients a way to work on the things you recommend. Provide then with doable, concrete steps they can use right away to improve their health.

Learn more from Dr. Cush and Dr. Thomas in their session, How to Give a Great Presentation to Patients and Health Care Providers, at the ACR/ARP Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Nov. 8–13.

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Carina Stanton is a freelance science journalist based in Denver.

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