The importance of effective communication in preventing litigation

Good communication in all aspects of medical practice is essential. Effective communication with your patient not only enables you to take an accurate history but also helps the patient to understand their illness and no doubt assists the healing process. Communication with other health professionals allows the team approach to healthcare to succeed. It reduces the chances of a breakdown in continuity of care, builds relationships and understanding between different disciplines and specialties and helps professionals to learn from each other. In the medico-legal field poor communication is the underlying problem in the most of cases that MPS deals with. The majority of negligence cases are not related to the clinical quality of care but are triggered by inadequate communication. A breakdown in the doctor-patient often occurs before the incident that leads to a claim. It is as if the patient is just waiting for their moment to sue. In a busy clinic or GP surgery it is often easy to forget the human needs of the patient and concentrate on their medical needs. First impressions are vital not just with the doctor but also with other staff and even the clinic or hospital itself. During the consultation careful listening, giving sincere empathy early in the consultation and an expression of understanding of their concerns will go a long way to instill confidence in the patient and reduce the likelihood of a complaint should things go wrong.