A Doctor's Argument: How Clear Medical Reasoning Empowers Patients

Clinical reasoning lies at the heart of good medicine. Yet, many doctors have never been explicitly taught how to present their reasoning clearly. In this episode of Medical Writing Unplugged, we draw on the fields of philosophy and communication studies to explore four building blocks of an argument – the claim (the recommendation), the evidence (data, like blood pressure readings), the warrant (why the evidence supports the claim), and the rebuttal (addressing concerns or exceptions). We show how a structured model of reasoning can help doctors clarify their own thought processes, explain decisions to patients, and communicate their decisions effectively with colleagues. Intro and outro music: "Cloud Dancer" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetency.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/