Bedside manner
BMJ 2011; 343 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.d4292 (Published 15 July 2011) Cite this as: BMJ 2011;343:d4292
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While I agree with some aspects of Dr Cohn`s article on bedside
maners in the hospital, I also want to point out a few things. Whilst the
general practice training allows video consultations, Hospital medicine
does not have much provision regarding bedside manners. But there are
various ways of improving our bedside manners and consultation skills.
1) All curriculums have communication skills as an essential part of their
curriculum and this is assessed through multisource feedback, patient
satisfaction questionnaire, supervisor feedback and appraisals.
2) It is the basic responsibility of the trainees to improve their bedside
manners and communication skills. They can learn more by watching good
consultations by their seniors. They can also learn by watching poor
consultations about how not to do certain things.
3) The nurses are usually very happy to provide feedback on consultations
and I learnt a lot from their feedback.
4) There are various communication skills courses available and in some of
these courses, they do record consultations and give feedback. Most of
these courses are free of charge and some of them are run by the trust
locally.
5) It is also the responsibility of the educational and clinical supervisor
to be role models for the trainees and identify and deficiences in the
communication skills of the trainees.
6) All the postgraduate exams assess communication skills of the trainees.
So as hospital doctors, it is our responsibility to make sure we give
the best to our patients and that includes good consultations.
Competing interests: No competing interests
Manufacturing good doctors
Anthony Cohn perceives a paucity of training in communication and
consultation skills in secondary care medicine. However, in theory it
should not be so easy for the communication-shy to slip through the net.
All medical schools now provide copious communication skills teaching
throughout their curricula. In my own experience at University College
London, this included compulsory filming of mock consultations with
actors, followed by public dissection of one's 'performance'. Post-graduate exams for every specialty include rigorous assessment of
communication skills. Whether filming live consultations in a secondary
care setting would be genuinely beneficial requires objective research.
Cohn's implication of the deficient communication skills of fellow
specialists and trainees can only emphasise that, in common with reaching
Carnegie Hall, the art of medicine can only partially be taught. What are
essential are a mix of talent and passion, and of course lots of practice.
Competing interests: No competing interests