Better doctor-patient relationships start with the small things

Newton’s third law of motion dictates that bodies exert forces upon each other.1 The same can be true for doctor-patient interactions. Effective communication between doctors and patients, which accurately conveys intent and meaning and reduces misunderstandings, can improve patient prognosis.23 Communication is both verbal and non-verbal, with non-verbal communication, such as eye contact, voice modulation, and posture, constituting up to 80% of people’s daily interpersonal interactions.4 Even simple actions, like maintaining eye contact with a patient or sitting at their bedside, can improve the quality of communication between clinicians and patients.56Iyer and colleagues have completed a single centre, double blind, randomised controlled study in Texas, US to evaluate the impact of convenient chair positioning on doctors’ sitting behaviour and patient experience.7 They found that convenient chair placement was not associated with time spent in the room (10.6 minutes for chair intervention vs 10.6 minutes for usual care) and perception of…
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