The language of effective doctor-patient communication (original) (raw)

Taking a patient history is one of the most important clinical tasks of a doctor. Medical students should be familiar with it, and they should acquire advanced communication skills during their university studies. When taking a medical history, two main elements are involved: the history taking content and the history taking process. History taking content is commonly referred to as information gathering, the 'what' of the medical interview, collecting specific information about the patient's symptoms, from the presenting complaint to the wider context of the patient's social history. The history taking process, however, is the method by which information is elicited, and thus it is more concerned with the 'how' of the interview. A fine balance is needed to combine content and process in order to effectively acquire adequate clinical information without considering either one as an alternative for the other. Evidence suggests that if history taking is done well, it improves patient satisfaction and compliance, and results in better health outcomes. We present the linguistic perspective of the history taking process as the main goal of our course. We also offer a few tips on how medical English teachers can contribute to better communication of their students who are non-native speakers of English coming from a multicultural environment.