Asking the difficult questions

The New York Times Health blog posted an interesting article about a study on how some patients have questions asking their physicians difficult questions. Among the most difficult questions to ask on the survey were: "How many times have you done this surgery" and "have you washed your hands?"You can find the article here: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/03/doctor-did-you-wash-your-hands/.

This article reinforces the point that unless the patient feels comfortable asking questions of their physician, effective communication will be difficult, if not impossible. And lack of effective communication can carry real risks, such as compromising patient safety to prolonging diagnosis and treatment of chronic illnesses.