Oct 8, 2026 · 21 min · 9 segments
Many people have left a medical appointment with more questions than answers. A rushed visit, a provider focused on a computer screen, or confusing medical information can make it harder to feel heard…
Neil J. FarberGuest
Neha PathakHost
Yeah, so let's start there and talk about that interaction that patients have with physicians in the office, where as practicing physicians, we think that we are, we're having a conversation at least, but we're not necessarily communicating in a way that allows patients to leave feeling like they've been heard or that they've been supported in their concerns.
So can you talk about the research that you did? Why is that? Why is that happening?
When I was taught about, quote unquote, communication with patients, it was basically a half day.
We were given a list of questions to ask patients, and that was how we were taught to communicate with patients.
And then over time, that changed so that now physicians who are medical students as well as residents are taught about how to actually communicate with patients.
But I think a lot of the time, physicians, as they get more into their practice and into their specialty, sort of lose that, if you will.
They don't pay attention to it as much because they're more into the scientific aspects of medicine.
I'd love to hear from you in terms of what good communication, what does the ideal actually look like?
I think the ideal is basically where the physician really wants to know who this person is, what their values are, what's important to them.
Not only their problems, their symptoms, et cetera, but who is this person? And Faith Fitzgerald wrote this wonderful article in the Annals of Internal Medicine entitled Curiosity.
Who is this person that they're seeing? And that's really the heart of what, you know, you asked me what does good communication look like? is the end result is that the physician and the patient, as you said, are working together for the benefit of the patient.
Yeah, so let's start there and talk about that interaction that patients have with physicians in the office, where as practicing physicians, we think that we are, we're having a conversation at least, but we're not necessarily communicating in a way that allows patients to leave feeling like they've been heard or that they've been supported in their concerns.
So can you talk about the research that you did? Why is that? Why is that happening?
When I was taught about, quote unquote, communication with patients, it was basically a half day.
We were given a list of questions to ask patients, and that was how we were taught to communicate with patients.
And then over time, that changed so that now physicians who are medical students as well as residents are taught about how to actually communicate with patients.
But I think a lot of the time, physicians, as they get more into their practice and into their specialty, sort of lose that, if you will.
They don't pay attention to it as much because they're more into the scientific aspects of medicine.
I'd love to hear from you in terms of what good communication, what does the ideal actually look like?
I think the ideal is basically where the physician really wants to know who this person is, what their values are, what's important to them.
Not only their problems, their symptoms, et cetera, but who is this person? And Faith Fitzgerald wrote this wonderful article in the Annals of Internal Medicine entitled Curiosity.
Who is this person that they're seeing? And that's really the heart of what, you know, you asked me what does good communication look like? is the end result is that the physician and the patient, as you said, are working together for the benefit of the patient.
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