Sitting aids communication...

摘要

Rashid's suggestion that consultations in primary care should be held standing up goes against basic communication skills, which require eye contact, full attention, and being at the same level. Otherfactors in the consultation interfere with good communication. Electronic patient records encourage doctors to sit behind the screen and to look at the keyboard and screen instead of having eye contact with the patient. Smart phones also distract us from listening. Doctors' communication skills have been slow to improve. A landmark,study in 1984 showed that doctors interrupted their patients afteronly 18 seconds.2 Ittookabout 15 years to improve this figure by five seconds.3 As our patients grow older and have more complex combinations of diseases, active listening and priority setting become more important.