Listening without interrupting and other ideas for improving the doctor-patient relationship 

As time constraints and technology like electronic health records compete for physicians’ attention, a new review finds five methods that can help improve the doctor-patient relationship. A panel of physicians, caregivers, and patients considered best practices from 73 published studies and interviews with primary care doctors and patients. They narrowed it down to a handful of recommendations: taking a moment to focus before greeting a patient; listening completely (and not interrupting patients); and reaching a consensus on health priorities. In addition, the panel says doctors should consider how their patients’ life circumstances influence their health and pay attention to and validate their patients’ emotions. One caveat: The expert panel was made up of people from the U.S., so these findings may not be universally applicable.