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Healthcare Journal of Baton Rouge
I
MAY / JUN 2017
65
R e v i ews b y t h e bookworm
The examination wasn’t bad. The idea of it,
perhaps, was worse.
Your doctor took your vitals, looked in your
mouth, felt around your jaw, and thumped
your back. He askedquestions, youanswered,
got down from the table, got dressed, and got
your prescription. In and out in fifteen min-
utes but what just happened? After reading
the new book “What Patients Say, What Doc-
tors Hear” by Danielle Ofri, MD, the answer
may be “not enough.”
When you’re sick, your doctor might order anMRI, CT, PET, EKG,
good old X-rays, or any of dozens of newmedicines. That alphabet
soup of diagnostics may give you pause, especially when a simpler
thing may work just as well.
With the advanced technology that hospitals have, sim-
ple might seem contrary, but Ofri says that listening,
from a doctor’s standpoint, is not just a matter of
hearing a list of complaints. It’s “a diagnostic tool
and…a therapeutic tool…” requiring the work of
two to be effective. Because body language can
speak volumes, listening is also sometimes done
by the eyes.
But listening goes both ways and the words a
doctor says and the way she says them “can have a
potency comparable to the medications we prescribe…”
Patients must closely listen to what their doctor says in order to
self-care and heal at home. Here, Ofri believes, is where body lan-
guage comes in: sometimes, patients may give nonverbal clues or
reasons for “noncompliance.”Perhaps they are embarrassed, fearful,
can’t afford care or don’t have access to it, can’t read instructions or
don’t understand them enough. They may not know their diagnosis,
or even their doctor’s name.
Listening, Ofri says, can help when conflicts arise and mistakes
are made. It can give patients a better outcome (although note-
taking helps!). Good communication will ensure that everyone un-
derstands what is about to happen, and it helps a doctor break bad
news. “Taking a history” is one of the first things physicians learn
inmed school. And, says Ofri, “It can sometimes mean life or death.”
“What Patients Say, What Doctors Hear”is a book that makes you
want to hang on to every word.
Obviously, author Danielle Ofri, MD is good at communicating,
even though she admits here that there were times when she wasn’t.
That’s one of the best parts of this book: Ofri not only uses herself
as an example, but she spent months interviewing doctor-patient
pairs in order to understand the importance of listening in a medi-
cal setting. Readers get real-life stories to illustrate the points Ofri
makes, told in language that’s authentic but that doesn’t require a
PhD to grasp. We’re also given subtle advice on getting (and giv-
ing) the best care possible through listening and communicating.
This is the book you want to read in the waiting room at your
next doctor’s appointment. It’s the one you’ll want to take to the
next medical conference. In both cases, it could make a difference:
with “What Patients Say, What Doctors Hear,”it’s your listening skills
you’ll be examining.
n
By
Danielle Ofri, MD
c.2017, Beacon Press
a book
that makes
you want
to hang on
to every
word.