November 27, 2023 | 2 min read When the truth (literally) hurts By Eric Last, DO, Northwell Health, Wantagh, New York When our patients are facing surgery or other procedures, thoughtful questions can help allay their worries.
March 13, 2018 | 2 min read Reading Your Patient and Changing Your Plan By Mike Fingerhood, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine We usually already have an agenda set when we see patients. However, we have to be ready to improvise by reading the patient, and be open to changing our plan.
April 14, 2022 | 1 min read Supporting Young Adults Who Use E-Cigarettes When talking with young patients about tobacco dependence, first create a judgment-free zone and ask open-ended questions to understand why they use the product.
March 3, 2025 | 2 min read The power of small gestures Actions speak louder than words. Small gestures like listening closely to patients, getting tissues, adjusting the lights, and helping them get comfortable in bed is part of giving holistic care.
November 25, 2020 | 2 min read Naming Chickens By Claire Crawford, MSW, PhD, Texas Childrens Incorporate laughter and joy where you can, giving yourself, your patients, and their families, moments of respite.
February 15, 2023 | 2 min read Speaking from my heart By Leslie Miller, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine When deeply worried about the mental health of patients, make sure they feel heard, validated, and empowered.
October 1, 2018 | 2 min read Listening to Build Trust By Sophie Lanzkron, MD, MDH, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine When I'm helping a patient who's angry about an aspect of care, the most important thing I do is listen, just sit quietly and listen. Often patients just want to be heard. Listening and repeating back their concerns lets them know they've been heard.
June 9, 2021 | 2 min read How to Support Patients When Transitioning Back to “Normal” As we move through phases of the pandemic, understanding patients’ goals and asking about their worries is paramount.
November 6, 2019 | 3 min read Songs From Hospice By J Lind, Dale Fellow and touring songwriter, Nashville, Tennesse It's the details of the patient's story that transforms them into a person.
April 5, 2022 | 1 min read Playing “Out of Book” By Jeffrey Millstein, MD, Penn Medicine Unexpected statements from patients can force clinicians to improvise. As in chess, it helps to view these as challenges with potential rewards.
February 28, 2018 | 4 min read Asking patients about adverse childhood experiences (archives, 2018) By Brent Beasley, MD, University of Oklahoma Ask. It's scary. But ask anyway.
November 18, 2020 | 1 min read She’s Only 24 By Rakesh Patel, MD, University of Nottingham Listening to patients’ fears and concerns builds understanding about the potential impact of disease on their long term goals. This may be especially important for younger patients.
February 1, 2023 | 1 min read Patience With Patients By Will Frye, PhD, Johns Hopkins All Childrens, St. Petersburg, Florida Consider the challenges you experience when trying to make changes in your daily habits. Remember to praise your patient’s progress no matter how small.
February 18, 2026 | 1 min read How’s Spot doing? Patients’ lives are often closely tied to their pets. Ask about them in clinic and during follow-ups to build connection.
Many of the anti-vaccine messages aim to bring forth emotion in the public, especially fear. Remain calm when talking with patients, friends, family, and neighbors. May 26, 2021 | 1 min read Talking with those opposed to vaccines (archives, 2021) When speaking with people who respond to scientific information in a challenging manner, the most critical thing to remember is to stay calm. Refrain from simply "talking over" those with whom you're in conversation.
October 30, 2019 | 13 min read Partnering With Parents—An Appraisal of Familial Feelings By Monique Webber The clinically excellent clinician understands that each family responds to and copes with chronic illness or disability differently. Being open-minded when partnering with families, and especially parents, is critical for ensuring a trusting relationship and providing support.
April 8, 2022 | 1 min read “Better” By Ben Roberts, CRNP, AGACNP-BC, ACHPN, Johns Hopkins Medicine Using precise language can help us partner with patients in hoping for the best, without causing confusion.
Maintain eye contact with your patient if and when you're typing in the electronic medical record (EMR). December 15, 2020 | 1 min read Embracing the EMR By Alice Rothchild, MD, Seattle, WA The best gift we can give our patients is our undivided attention. Maintain eye contact with your patient if and when you’re typing in the electronic medical record during the encounter.
September 15, 2020 | 3 min read How to talk with patients about sexual health (archives, 2020) By Matthew Hamill, MBChB, PhD, Johns Hopkins Medicine Sexual health can be a sensitive topic to discuss. Asking open-ended questions and allowing time for your patient’s story to unfold can create a safe space for conversations about sexual health.
January 12, 2023 | 1 min read Pain Talk By Will Frye, PhD, Johns Hopkins All Childrens, St. Petersburg, Florida Chronic pain is sometimes a challenging topic to discuss with patients. I’ve learned that the most important thing is to validate my patients’ experience of suffering.
February 4, 2026 | 1 min read Spring at the bedside A small, concrete gesture—bringing a bouquet of lilies to a patient—prompted her to share her history of trauma, enabling me to provide better care.
May 20, 2021 | 2 min read Alleviating Your Patients’ Worries By April Sharp, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine During hospitalizations, patients and families have lots of time to worry. Asking about the concerns and empathizing may be especially helpful.
November 6, 2023 | 2 min read Believing Patients By Chloe Lee, MD, MPH, University of Rochester When patients share their traumatic experiences, trust that they are almost always telling the truth. We must be empathic and compassionate to build therapeutic connections.
October 29, 2019 | 4 min read Curiosity, Connection, and Comfort By Margaret "Molly" Hayes, MD, Harvard Medical School Curiosity is an essential part of our humanity and a foundation of the doctor-patient relationship. By remaining curious, we remain faithful to the words of Hippocrates: “Cure sometimes, treat often, comfort always.”
"When a patient is riding the wave of anger, instead of defensively explaining your kind intention and clinical justification for decisions, validate their experience." March 3, 2022 | 1 min read Listening to my Patient’s Anger By Avani Prabhakar, MBBS, MPH, Johns Hopkins Medicine When encountering an angry patient, validate feelings rather than becoming defensive.
February 24, 2025 | 2 min read Listening to find answers By Michael Albert, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine To more accurately arrive at the diagnosis, it is generally wise to believe patients’ recounting of their symptoms and experiences. This can result in uncovering medical conditions that are sometimes labeled as being more generalized—like anxiety—and lead to improved patient outcomes.
November 4, 2020 | 3 min read It’s All Relative By Elisabeth Marsh, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine It's essential that we approach each patient with a fresh outlook. Bringing emotions, positive or negative, from a previous clinical interaction can adversely affect the next patient.
September 9, 2020 | 1 min read We’re All in This Together By Mike Fingerhood, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine With the added stress caused by the pandemic, make an extra effort to screen your patients for anxiety and depression. Empathizing about shared concerns may facilitate patient expression.
November 20, 2023 | 2 min read Honoring indigenous culture amid serious illness By Katie Nelson, PhD(c), MSN, RN, Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing We must seek to understand the beliefs, rituals, and ceremonies of all patients and communities. Failing to honor these may erode trust.
September 13, 2018 | 2 min read The Core of Compassionate Care By Ayelet Kuper, MD, University of Toronto When I have trouble bringing my focus back to the patient, I remind myself that this patient was once a baby that someone held as I have held my own babies.
October 18, 2023 | 2 min read Have you done this before? By Scott Lifchez, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine Listen for a patient’s anxiety when they ask questions about treatment. Addressing all concerns builds a trusting relationship and helps them better tolerate procedures that may initially be painful.
October 8, 2019 | 4 min read Can you hear me now? By Mariah Robertson, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine The onus may be on the clinically excellent doctor to overcome a the patient's disability that interferes with care. A pocket talker can make a big difference for patients with hearing impairment.
March 1, 2022 | 1 min read What to Expect When You’re Expecting (to See The Doctor) By Jeffrey Millstein, MD, Penn Medicine A journey through a doctor’s office visit is all too familiar to clinicians and staff, but patients may not know what to expect. Managing expectations provides reassurance and may improve the patient experience.
August 14, 2018 | 3 min read Seeing Your Patients Through New Perspectives By Patrick Hemming, MD, Duke University We can enhance our patient care if we incorporate the perspectives of life story and behavior.
September 30, 2020 | 2 min read Perspective-taking Through Poetry By Howard Chang, Medical Student, Johns Hopkins Medicine Creative writing may enhance our ability to recognize and understand conflicting perspectives in order to better empathize with our patients.
November 5, 2020 | 3 min read Cultivating Compassion By Aidan Crowley, Medical Student, University of Pennsylvania Compassion—acting on the desire to relieve suffering—is central to giving clinically excellent care to those in need.
June 25, 2018 | 2 min read Identity Part II: Knowing Your Own Past I’m not a doctor who engages with the community; rather, I’m a community member who became a doctor. This identity has helped me strengthen and maintain my relationships with my patients.
May 17, 2021 | 1 min read Validating my Patient’s Despair By Avani Prabhakar, MBBS, MPH, Johns Hopkins Medicine When my young patient was struggling to accept the diagnosis of leukemia, I was reminded how important validating emotions is in the giving excellent care.
October 12, 2023 | 1 min read A Lesson Emphasized in Brazilian Medical Training By Thiago Mendes, MD, University of Pittsburgh In my medical training in Brazil, I learned to live by Theodore Roosevelt’s quotation, “Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care."
October 7, 2019 | 2 min read 5 Tips for Effective Shared Decision-Making By Mary Catherine Beach, MD, MPH, Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics The clinically excellent physician practices effective shared decision-making with patients routinely. Select recommendations outlined include using decision aids, and establishing a relationship that is egalitarian and respectful.
February 17, 2022 | <1 min read Throw The Heart Machine Out The Window By Avani Prabhakar, MBBS, MPH, Johns Hopkins Medicine In serving patients, it is sometimes best just to listen, show respect, and withhold judgement.
August 14, 2018 | 2 min read Have Guitar – Will Travel By David Shih Wu, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine Consider how you might use your creative gifts—and your imagination—to connect more deeply with your patients and bring them joy.
August 20, 2020 | 2 min read 2 Minutes of Presence By Zara Latif, MD, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center When talking with your patient, dedicate at least two minutes to pure listening. During that time, try to not think about the next question you want to ask and just hear your patient’s perspective.
December 14, 2022 | 1 min read Choosing The Right Words By Jeffrey Millstein, MD, Penn Medicine, Lori Jia, medical student, Penn Medicine Using connecting language to seek deeper understanding of patients’ concerns may add richness to clinical encounters and help them feel safe.
January 6, 2026 | 2 min read The sacred art of care Let compassion guide your words and touch in every encounter. Kindness and empathy earn trust while facilitating patients’ healing.
May 18, 2021 | 2 min read A Question That Transformed my Care of Patients By Rebekah Fenton, MD, Northwestern University Asking patients, “What are you most worried about?” can bring to light unspoken concerns and allow fears to be addressed.
October 2, 2023 | 4 min read Exclamation Points And Exhalations By Ajibike Lapite, MD, MPHTM, Texas Childrens Hospital Even when lab results are normal, some patients may still have concerns. Take time to address their fears and worries.
October 1, 2019 | 4 min read Developing a Complete Culture of Interpretation By April Lugo, Program Coordinator, Johns Hopkins Medicine Office of Diversity and Inclusion The clinically excellent clinician prioritizes training for themselves and their staff on the proper role of an interpreter. They work to empower interpreters to translate not only the patient's words, but also the patient's tone, cadence, and meaning.
February 10, 2022 | 1 min read How to Express Empathy With Humility By Rebekah Fenton, MD, Northwestern University To show we care, we can simply say something like, “I can’t imagine how hard this must be.”
December 23, 2024 | 1 min read Beyond the Grinch’s grump By Heather Agee, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine Patients exhibiting "Grinch-like" behaviors may be masking underlying trauma and vulnerability. Try an empathetic "Cindy Lou" approach to foster trust and facilitate healing.
