10 Minutes to Better Patient Communication

How about those portal messages? Lately, it seems everyone I talk to has something to say about patient portal messages. Patients have opinions, clinicians have opinions, they’re rarely the same opinion. So yes, let’s dig into the phenomenon that I’ve started referring to as the visit after the visit. Hi everybody, this is 10 Minutes […]

Are you a good patient? Yes, you’re health professionals, and you’re also patients. The concept of “a good patient” has been around for decades. Today we’re going to look into it with a real patient story, some research and concrete things you can do as a professional to help keep the good patient from getting […]

Dr. Lachelle Dawn Weeks, MD, PhD is a hematologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. She directs the Dana-Farber CHIP Clinic and is the principal investigator of The Weeks Lab.  Dr. Weeks is among the less than 2% of hematologists who are Black women. So over the last couple of years, she has made a decision to […]

Sometimes when I tell people I work on communication and healthcare, they think connectivity, like portals or messaging systems. And from that perspective, improving communication means more of it. It’s an understandable mix-up, and it points to an important distinction. Communication quantity is not the same as communication quality. Hi, everybody. This is 10 Minutes […]

This episode is for you if you’ve ever felt that particular kind of embarrassment that comes from realizing you missed something everyone else caught. Because this episode is about noticing our noticings. Hi, everybody. This is 10 Minutes to Better Patient Communication from Health Communication Partners. Since 2017, we’ve been giving you inspiration and strategies […]

Barley was so personable and social, I called her the Walmart greeter cat. She had to come and meet whoever was at the door. She’d make a fuss over them, and if you wanted to pet her, that would be great. She was a proper southern hostess and a belle of the ball. She was […]

It’s the anniversary of the passing of someone I was lucky to know: Nancy. Nancy died of cancer several years ago, and she had a big impact on my thinking about patient communication. To celebrate Nancy, I’ll share more of her story and the episode she inspired. Hi, everybody. This is 10 Minutes to Better […]

When you’re communicating with patients, or anyone, contextual factors have a huge impact on the quality of that communication. My guest today is Dr. Nkemdilim Ezeife. Dr. Ezeife is an internal medicine physician who’s focused on what he calls reducing communicative friction. He shares how he recognizes and manages some of the contextual factors that […]

I think the best communication skill you can possibly develop is curiosity. So today’s episode is going to be a little bit about that. How did you become the communicator that you are? How you can get better at it? Hi, everybody. This is 10 Minutes to Better Patient Communication from Health Communication Partners. Since […]

Uncertainty is genuinely tough to talk about. Add to that there’s different types of uncertainty, there’s pressures of different kinds around communicating about uncertainty, and the stakes are high for the patient’s health outcomes and for the therapeutic relationship. Fun times. So today’s episode, I’ll share some thoughts and three specific, concrete moves you can […]

I was recently talking to an oncologist about health communication when he mentioned The Pitt, that hit medical drama set in an emergency department in Pittsburgh. Now in its second season, the show prides itself on its accuracy and realism. I’ll share two things this oncologist thinks the show gets right related to communication. Hi, […]

Recommended Readings from Dr. Basginer & Dr. Quinlan: In today’s episode, I share five podcast recommendations in the reproductive health space, and we replay my interview with Dr. Erin Basinger and Dr. Margaret Quinlan on anti-fat bias in reproductive health. Hi, everybody. This is 10 Minutes to Better Patient Communication from Health Communication Partners. Since […]

One of the best things about working as a consultant is the variety of projects I get to be involved in. This episode is about what actually happens when I’m brought in to help a team. I’m going to share five moves that I make that might be helpful to you and your team. Hi, […]

Listening can be more complicated than it seems at first. And apparently you know this already, because I had such nice response to our most recent episode talking about listening. So I wanted to follow it up today with some prompts to help you reflect on your listening, so you could take the next step […]

How we listen, and think about listening, can help us be better at what we do I’ve had a few requests lately for more resources on listening. Now, you already know how to listen well, so what I’ll share today can help you use your listening to make more confident decisions in messy, unpredictable, real-world […]

Is it possible to develop strategies to be a better empathizer? Dr. Esther Ra is co-hosting with me today, and we’re talking about empathy. Dr. Ra will share a glimpse at some of the research on empathy in health care, some interesting statistics, and a quick refresher for you. It could be handy right before […]

Hi, everybody. I am going to skip the usual introduction today. This is a mini episode because I get to talk about the opening of our library. Our Learning Library is finally done. It’s been a long time coming, y ‘all, like eight and a half years worth of work. And many of you have […]

Shared decision-making is a common clinical goal, and numeracy is one mechanism that makes it work. What I’m sharing in this episode might help you feel less anxious about all of the above, and maybe even listen a little differently to your next patient. Hi, everybody, this is 10 minutes to better patient communication from […]

Welcome to a new year, and a new chapter for the show. We’re starting a new collaboration and I couldn’t be happier about it. I’m thrilled to welcome Dr. Esther Ra to the show, as a new voice contributing her expertise on communication across professions and across the world. Hi, everybody. This is 10 Minutes […]

In a recent conversation about patient numeracy, and talking about numbers, a related question surfaced, and I thought it was worth exploring for its own episode: talking about randomness and randomization with patients. Hi, everybody. This is 10 Minutes to Better Patient Communication from Health Communication Partners. Since 2017, we’ve been giving you inspiration and […]

In Part 1 of my conversation with Dr. Tim Gilligan, Dr. Gilligan talked about some of the systemic issues that separate patients from providers and make communication difficult in health care. In Part 2, you’ll hear how communication helps Dr. Gilligan manage some of these systemic obstacles. Hi, everybody. This is 10 Minutes to Better […]

Today I get to talk to Dr. Tim Gilligan. He’s the President of the Academy of Communication in Healthcare and an oncologist at Cleveland Clinic. And Dr. Gilligan gets right into how systems-level issues in health care actively push providers away from patients. He talks about how this can lead, sometimes directly, to worse patient […]

Today, I want to try to answer a question I got asked a week ago: “How do we talk about numbers with our patients?” It’s a big question, and I’m so happy to dig into it with you today. What I’m going to share I hope can inform how you’re already talking about numbers, maybe […]

We’re celebrating our 8th anniversary, and health literacy month! Here’s some of our most popular health literacy advice, condensed into a 6-item checklist for health professionals, to support health literacy and patient-centered communication. It’s health literacy month, and it’s the 8th anniversary of this podcast series! I always like celebrating our anniversary and health literacy […]

In Part 2 of my interview with Lakshmi Grama, we find out what happened when the NCI team involved people affected by cancer in naming a new part of the cancer.gov website. Lakshmi also reveals how NCI was already exploring the possibilities of generative AI for precision communication about cancer. Missed Part 1 of our […]

Today I get to talk with Lakshmi Grama, former Associate Director for Dissemination and Digital Communications at the National Cancer Institute. She shares stories of early days at NCI, bringing everyone to the table, and power dynamics in health information. Communication about clinical trials is a very specialized part of health communication, but stories from […]

We didn’t expect this. You might not have either. Turns out, trust is resonating. Our last two episodes both landed in the Top 5% of downloads of all podcasts worldwide. Before we move forward, let’s sit with this. Hi everybody and hi to our new listeners. Our last two episodes made quite a splash so […]

In Part 2 of our conversation, Dr. Renata Schiavo digs into the science of trust and explains what her research has found about the dimensions of trust, and the drivers of trust. You’ll want to take notes! Check out the links to the research in our notes below. Trust. It’s such a complex phenomenon. It […]

Dr. Renata Schiavo, Editor-In-Chief of the Journal of Communication in Healthcare, shares her research into trust and trustworthiness. I’m so glad to have back to the show Dr. Renata Schiavo, a public health leader, Editor-In-Chief of the Journal of Communication in Healthcare. Dr. Schiavo talks about some of the most pressing concerns in health communication: […]

Solving complex problems with limited time is the daily reality for many of us. Today, Dr. Ayo Olagoke joins us to explore how AI can make that a little easier in the world of health communication. Are you tackling big problems but are shy on time and resources? Thought so. So you’ll want to listen […]

Quick ways to up your game in patient communication. I’ve done the prompt design work for you! Have you been using chat GPT? Yeah, me too. So in today’s episode, I’m going to share six chat GPT prompts you can use to improve your patient communication. Hi, everybody. This is 10 Minutes to Better Patient […]

My guest today is Joel Helbling from Test Double, a fully remote software consultancy. While Joel doesn’t work in the health sector, I hope you find his insights into team communication, feedback, and change are relevant. Joel shares how his team stays connected and effective without the benefit of in-person interaction, through intentional communication, feedback, […]

Communicating across our differences is difficult, but necessary, in today’s highly polarized environment. I share real life examples, and advice from a language expert, as encouragement for  talking to someone you disagree with. Communicating with people that we disagree with has never been easy, but today I’m arguing it’s pretty necessary. So I’m going to share […]

Today’s chaotic environment can leave us feeling unmoored and lost. Dr. Saria Saccocio explains 2 steps she’s using these days to manage the chaos, and reclaim some power. In today’s episode, Dr. Saria Sacocho returns to the show and offers some incredibly timely advice on getting yourself out of chaos. Hi everybody, this is “10 […]

It’s our 200th episode! Today you’ll hear a familiar voice tell a story about how emotional intelligence helped communication in the workplace. Today’s episode is our 200th episode! And today you’ll be hearing about emotional intelligence in the workplace from someone I think you’ve heard before. Hi, everybody. This is 10 Minutes to Better Patient […]

Dr. Schiavo shares powerful stories about communication’s role in community engagement and pursuing health equity. We’re shining a light on public health and the value of the work done by public health professionals. Today you’ll hear from Dr. Renata Schiavo, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Communication in Healthcare.  Hi everybody, this is 10 Minutes to […]