doctor-patient communication

Covid Vaccine Heebie-Jeebies

Few patients seem to have specific reasons for declining the Covid vaccine. There’s just a vague hedge, or an abashed, “I don’t know, I just don’t.” It’s as though they have a communal case of the heebie-jeebies. More

Communication Errors in Healthcare

Danielle Ofri answers questions about communication errors in healthcare. How can patient ensure they are heard? How should clinicians disclosure medical errors? What can be done about the power imbalance that between doctors and patients? How can we reduce medical error and avoid malpractice suits? More

I Feel Safest (re Covid) in My Own Hospital

When it comes to Covid, our patients seem to be moving on. We healthcare workers, however, don’t have that option, as Covid is now the third leading cause of death in the U.S. Covid may not be the only thing on our mind as it was at the outset, but it’s still part of every staff meeting, every communication, every clinical day. More

“What Patients Say, What Doctors Hear” in Japanese

こんにちは Kon’nichiwa! Beacon Press is excited to announce that “What Patients Say, What Doctors Hear” is now available in Japanese! More

“What Patients Say, What Doctors Hear” in Chinese

你好 Nǐ hǎo! Beacon Press is excited to announce that “What Patients Say, What Doctors Hear” is now available in Chinese! More

How to Improve the Doctor-Patient Relationship

Danielle Ofri talks with Elena Sung from the “Power of the Patient Project” about how to improve the doctor-patient relationshipe. More

The Most Powerful Tool in Medicine

Danielle Ofri speaks at the Mayo Clinic about conversation as the single most powerful tool in medicine. More

Viva Italiano!

Ciao! We are thrilled that “What Patients Say, What Doctors Hear” is now available in Italian. Grab an espresso and your copy of “Cosa dice el malato, cosa sente il medico.” More

The Conversation Placebo

Pain remedies developed by the pharmaceutical industry are only modestly effective, and they have side effects that range from nausea and constipation to addiction and death. What’s often overlooked is that the simple conversation between doctor and patient can be as potent an analgesic as many treatments we prescribe. More

Podcast: Listen to the Patient!

Danielle is interviewed by Joe Elia from the New England Journal of Medicine about her new book, “What Patients Say, What Doctors Hear.” More

Just a “Regular” Doctor

“What’s your specialty?” This question continually flummoxes me. This is the moment that I experience a brief surge of envy toward my cardiology and dermatology colleagues who have simple one-word answers to this question that any lay person can understand. More

The Doctor-Patient Relationship is Alive and Well

Medicine is unquestionably harder than it was 10 years ago. Many more doctors I know talk about quitting (an option that is not equally available to patients). However, there’s been no mass exodus of doctors. We doctors grumble loudly — often with good cause — but we aren’t quitting in droves, mainly because of patients like Ms. M. More

Should Doctors Care About Happiness?

We in the health care professions need to notice and inquire about happiness the same way we do other aspects of our patients’ lives. More

Patients, and Doctors, Aren’t Dying at Home

Doctors, it turns out, aren’t much different than everyone else when it comes to where they die. More

Getting the Diagnosis Wrong

Diagnostic accuracy is fiendishly difficult to measure precisely. A new report suggests that nearly everyone will experience at least one diagnostic error in their lifetimes. More

Books by Danielle Ofri

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