Trust me, I'm a communicator

[摘要] A medical degree, according to George Bernard Shaw, is no substitute for clairvoyance. We can never eliminate the insecurity of medical uncertainty, which is precisely why we need trust.1 In the paternalistic model of consulting, doctors are accorded blind trust and in response take the emotional ‘hit’ for their patients' uncertainty. In the new model of shared decision making, professional trust has to be earned through honesty about the limits of medicine and the unpredictability of illness. But sharing uncertainty requires skilful communication to avoid the ultimate irony of truth undermining trust.

[学科分类] 卫生学