Monday, June 29, 2009

Communication and medical myths

The New York Times Well blog had an article today about a new book that explores common medical myths, that both physicians and patients believe to be true. The article made me think about the role these myths may play in how patients and physicians communicate with each other. After all, if a patient can write off a symptom to a commonly held belief, will he bother his physician with the detail? Or will a physician dismiss a patient's complaint if it seems to fall under common medical belief?

What both physicians and patients believe to be true about health can be taken for granted when trying to communicate. How should physicians and patients work together to create an environment where both can communicate about and explore even the seeming simplest medical symptom?

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