AHRQ Video Gives Tips to Improve Patient-Physician Communication

Practical strategies for patient-doctor communication are highlighted in a new Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, or AHRQ, consumer video that features AAFP Board Chair Rick Kellerman, M.D., of Wichita, Kan.

The video, titled "Communicating With Your Doctor," provides practical advice and suggests questions patients should be prepared to ask during doctors' visits. The video also includes tips for overcoming the barriers patients may perceive as blocking good communication, such as feeling rushed, afraid or embarrassed. Available online, the video will appear on more than 4,500 Web sites, including those of CNN, ABC News, and other media and health information organizations.

In the video, Kellerman encourages patients to:

"Part of the video is to help stimulate patients to think, 'Number one, it's OK to ask questions, and number two, take notes,'" Kellerman said. "I took notes in medical school. When I interview patients, I take notes. But it's rare for patients to take notes."

The video also lists important questions patients should ask their physicians regarding medical tests, diagnoses and medications. Patients need to feel empowered to ask what each test will determine, what is involved in the test and how to prepare for it, said Carolyn Clancy, M.D., director of AHRQ, in the video. Clancy also said patients should feel comfortable asking about getting a second opinion for a diagnosis.

N. Lee Rucker, M.S.H.P., strategic policy advisor for AARP's Public Policy Institute, rounds out the video's cast, providing advice for patients on talking about alternatives to high-cost prescriptions, as well as on asking about the physician's experience with procedures being considered.

AHRQ expects the video will encourage viewers to improve their health by becoming more engaged patients.

"The creation of this video on raising the awareness about the importance of physician-patient communication falls right in line with AHRQ's broader mission to increase patient safety and improve patient outcomes," said Al Lazar, director of AHRQ's Office of Communication and Knowledge Transfer. "We know that patients who are more involved in their health care tend to have better outcomes."

An open dialogue between physicians and patients establishes a foundation for a more collaborative approach to patient care, Kellerman said. He said he hopes the video will lead to better patient self-management by improving communication.

"We need to try to make sure patients are educated and understand the disease process because, let's face it -- it's their bodies," said Kellerman. "The best I can do is give them information, motivate them and challenge them to do the right thing. Ultimately, it's the patient who has to do it on their own in many situations."

On the flip side, Kellerman said, physicians must be prepared to actively listen to patients and initiate dialog on information patients are typically hesitant to discuss. It's important to talk about not just physical aches and pains, but also emotional aches and pains, he said. Ask, "How is the patient handling his illness? How is it affecting her life?" he recommended.

Kellerman said he was honored to represent family physicians in the video -- despite some admitted on-camera jitters. What's important to remember, he noted, is that family physicians rely on communication to care for the whole patient.

"I don't think there's any doubt that this is one of the areas where family physicians shine," Kellerman said. "It's family physicians who provide comprehensive care; we take care of the whole patient, not just an organ system. We recognize that patients do not have medical problems in a vacuum."

The video is based on a previous AHRQ brochure, "Quick Tips -- When Talking With Your Doctor," which is available online. Additional patient and consumer education materials also are available on AHRQ's Web site.