Doctor-patient Communication

Communication between doctor and patient is part of the cure. The more effective the communication, the more effective the ‘therapeutic alliance’.

• Knowing the patient’s needs.

• Connecting emotionally.

• Observing and listening: the art of asking the right questions.

• Communicating effectively with the right words, the right tones, the right body language.

• Strengthening the “therapeutic alliance”

“Communication time with the patient constitutes care time”.

– Article 1(8), Law No 219 of 22 December 2017 (‘Rules on informed consent and advance treatment provisions’)

The ‘therapeutic alliance’.
Communication with the patient is an integral part of the therapeutic relationship. Today even the law recognises this. Kindness of manner, respect for the person, and clarity of explanations are characteristics that the patient seeks and appreciates in the professional he or she entrusts. Often the patient does not intellectually understand the technical details of professional explanations, but always ‘feels’ the emotional relationship with the professional and trusts the professional who can ‘connect’ with him or her.
Professionals are often forced to communicate ‘bad news’. In these cases, the delicate task is often left to individual sensitivity. In contrast, communication skills should be an integral part of a professional’s curriculum and experience, on a par with technical skills.
The “Doctor-Patient Communication” course aims to bridge the “gap”: to provide healthcare professionals with the knowledge and practical communication tools to “connect” with the patient on an emotional level, to establish a deeper and more profitable relationship of trust with him or her.

Programme.
The course has the specificity of being both theoretical and practical: in addition to the fundamental theoretical knowledge on communication, there will be practical exercises and role-plays that will allow participants to concretely and immediately apply the knowledge learned.

Specifically, the course will be conducted according to the following programme:

Day 1 – The functioning of the mind

1. Thoughts create emotions.
2. We think in images.
3. Connecting with emotions.
4. Reacting to external events: being reactive and being proactive.
5. The spiritual source: our values.
6. Practical techniques of emotion management and transformation.

Days 2, 3, 4 – Communication with the patient

1. From the inside to the outside: from mind to communication.
2. Establishing a harmonious and cooperative relationship with patients.
3. Verbal communication: words to say and words not to say.
4. Para-verbal communication: attention to tone.
5. Non-verbal communication: body language speaks to the unconscious.
6. Verbal, para-verbal, non-verbal communication techniques.
7. Communicating ‘bad news’ to patients.
8. Role-playing.
9. Solving concrete problem situations.
10. Questions and answers developed over the 3 days.
11. Group sharing.
12. Final test for CME credits.

There may be changes in the distribution of topics within the three days, to meet teaching requirements, group demands or contingent needs.
Day 4 will conclude with a final test, which will verify, for the purpose of granting E.C.M. credits, the preparation of the course participants.

Target audience.
The course is aimed at all health professionals: surgeons, dentists, nurses, pharmacists, psychologists, veterinarians, biologists, chemists, obstetricians, laboratory technicians, etc.

Trainer.
The course is taught by trainer lawyer Alessandro Maturo.
Alessandro has been practising law since 2004, with elective experience in healthcare professional liability law.
Over the years, he has conducted 9 cycles of the course ‘Doctor-Patient Communication’, with professionals from all over Italy.

Testimonials.
Health professionals, doctors and paramedics, who have already attended the course have achieved successful results in their personal and professional lives.

“I work as a dentist and often treat children. A 5-year-old girl, terrified by a previous traumatic and painful experience with a colleague who does not treat children, because of a deep caries, comes to the practice 4/5 times crying in despair, clinging to her mother’s leg. Impossible to even visit her. I promised that at the next appointment I would not wear ‘work’ clothes and would welcome her in the office-room without going into the surgery and that we would play a nice game together, just talking. The child came back still crying, but then agreed to follow me alone. We sat opposite each other, closed our eyes and I made her conjure up a beautiful picture of her birthday party at the seaside, making me describe the pleasant and amusing details and colours. Then I made her put it in her pocket for a while. Then I had her conjure up the negative image of the colleague who had frightened her, made it all dark and small; then using the swish pattern technique I had her replace the negative image with the positive one which I then enhanced and enlarged.

At the next appointment I applied the emotion spinning technique on the same subject. Now the child, who cooperated cheerfully, has returned and entered the operating room. She touched the instruments (friendly toys) and the chair with ease. I will proceed gradually with the aim of retaining her and being able to treat her one day”.
– Dr. Margherita Misticoni, Dentist, Pescara

“The change I noticed in myself was relational with colleagues, patients and staff. The vision of things and the communicative approach with the tone of voice, gestures, and also the relationship with patients changed.
This change was perceived by everyone and everyone asked: “What happened to you? How did you do it? Who changed you? How was this possible?”
Certainly the view of things, images and emotions changed from negative to positive, thanks to the techniques acquired during the course. Improving thoughts, emotions, actions and relationships.”
– Dr Massimo De Natale, Otolaryngologist, Catania, Italy.

“I applied the ‘Spin your feelings’ technique on my 13-year-old daughter, Sara. I said that with my daughter I did not have to act on rapport as in my case there is a very strong bond between me and her and she trusts me blindly. Sara when she is close to facing exams or questions, being very emotional, she feels a bite in her stomach and she feels like crying. Now one morning as soon as I woke up I saw her in this state because of an exam, I asked her what she was feeling, where the emotion was located and how she was feeling. Then I applied the P.N.L. technique I had learnt in the course. The process lasted a few minutes, I made him open his eyes and he told me he was no longer afraid and ran to his mum and said, “Daddy made me stop being afraid.” .”
– Roberto, Nurse, Rome.

Duration.

The course lasts 4 days with an intensive formula, 8 hours each day, 32 hours in all.

E.C.M. credits

The course is accredited for E.C.M. (Continuing Medical Education) and provides 40 credits.