The Doctor's Communication Handbook

Summary

Of previous editions:

'... breaks new ground in its readability … It is concise, wise, and firmly pragmatic'. British Medical Journal

'Since it was first published in 1994, Peter Tate’s The Doctor’s Communication Handbook has been essential reading to improve GP registrars’ communication skills'. Practical Diabetes International

This bestselling title has established itself as the ultimate guide to patient communication for all doctors, whatever their experience and wherever they practice. Highly respected by many and acclaimed for its light, conversational tone, this completely updated and expanded eighth edition remains a key text for doctors at all levels and in all settings, particularly candidates sitting for the Membership of the Royal College of General Practitioners.

Key features:

    Unique and accessible approach to this vital and frequently poorly practiced aspect of medicine

    Addresses the change in practice where traditional doctor consultations are increasingly being done by other health professionals, including nurse practitioners and paramedics

    Reflects the dissolution of the primary/secondary care boundary, and the increasing importance of shared responsibility for patient communication in clinical and social care

    Covers the new types of consultation including telephone triage and virtual consultation and the associated risks and benefits

    Retains all the features praised in previous editions − brevity, readability and humour

As patients become participants, doctors are increasingly adjusting to new roles and forms of communication − from orators and governors to confidants and interpreters. The Doctor's Communication Handbook continues to provide an invaluable 'one stop shop' to help students, practicing doctors, nurses and other healthcare practitioners value and improve their skills in this area.

Table of Contents

1. The essence of good doctoring: A personal reflection. 2. Ideas, concerns and expectations. 3. How doctors talk to patients and why. 4. Different types of patients. 5. Patient-encounter outcomes. 6. How you feel is as important as what you know. 7. What you need to achieve in a patient encounter or consultation. 8. Different methods of consulting. 9. Complex scenarios. 10. Wider communication and ethical issues. 11. Communication as a competence? 12. Summary

Peter Tate is a retired General Practitioner, UK

Francesca Frame is a General Practitioner in Cambridgeshire, UK