What doctors are telling us, even when they’re not talking
This article by Dr. Pauline Chen highlights some of the important issues surrounding non-verbal communication between doctors and patients.
Non-verbal cues such as facial expressions and body language are deeply ingrained and very difficult for a person to change. I often get told that I have an expressive face (for example, when I'm annoyed or confused it's usually pretty obvious to those nearby), and even though I suppose I have to trust those around me when they tell me that, I still secretly think I must have a poker face.
And that gets at the complexity of this issue - many people don't realize the kinds of non-verbal communication they put forth. And patients, who can be in painful, confusing or vulnerable situations, often rely on body language and facial expressions for cues to understand what a doctor is really telling them. Dr. Chen reports in the article that not much research has been done on this aspect of the patient-doctor relationship, but I suspect that will change very soon (particularly given the issues surrounding gender, race and cultural competency discussed). But even then, I struggle with ways this could be integrated into medical school communication curricula. Perhaps a discussion about it will increase self-awareness of non-verbal language cues, and that is a good place to start.
February 16th, 2012 - 10:24
I once watched a training video where the actor playing the doctor was wrapping up an office visit. He asked the patient “Do you have any questions?” while slightly moving his head left to right, left to right. The patient’s eyes followed the “doctor’s” head movements, and he slowly began shaking his head “no.” So, even though the doc’s words indicated the desire to engage the patient in Q&A, his body language spoke much louder, having quite the opposite effect.