We started enrolling physicians into our study of quality communication last month. So I now spend a lot of time on the phone talking to physicians on the phone, trying to get them to rehearse with me how they will talk to their patients about a screening result. We will later analyze the taped rehearsals for quality of communication.
Physicians are busy, so we knew going in that recruitment would be difficult. But I can't help but speculate about who decides to practice and who does not. I know some people who decline to practice are simply too busy. But I can't help but think that some of those physicians who decline to practice don't think they need to practice. They think they are effective communicators already. And let's face it, most of them likely are not as good as they think they are.
And I wonder about those who decide to practice. Are they acknowledging that maybe they need to improve their communication skills? Or are they just being polite to the very polite screening lab follow-up worker who just happened to catch them on the phone?
It makes me wonder: How do these physicians see themselves and does it affect whether physicians will try to improve their skills?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment