Physicians who carefully listen to patients and comfortably share medical information with them have discovered the cornerstone of the art of medicine. A healthy physician-patient relationship can make a difficult diagnosis more bearable for the patient. It can help a resistant patient understand the need for a procedure or medication, and allow the physician to develop a realistic plan for continuing care. When a physician's relationship with a patient is marked by mutual trust and open communication, he or she has taken a major step towards the assurance of patient satisfaction.
Evidence shows that a clear, two-way conversation is a key element in the prevention of patient dissatisfaction and malpractice claims. In fact, many episodes of patient dissatisfaction triggered by an iatrogenic injury or other "adverse outcome" can be defused by a reasonable explanation from the physician who has established a good basis for communication.
On the other hand, inadequate communication and misunderstanding are often the inciting agent that transform a poor medical outcome into a legal action against a physician, even when quality care was delivered. Most studies show that a significant percentage of malpractice lawsuits are ultimately resolved without any payment to the patient. Many risk managers believe that a large number of these malpractice cases could be avoided if physicians listened more attentively to patients who experienced less than optimal or unexpected treatment outcomes. Techniques for increasing patient satisfaction through improved communication are now widely recommended for malpractice claims prevention.
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