Smize: A Mid-Pandemic Guide to Non-Verbal Communication

Communication, whether it be verbal or non-verbal, is a key element in establishing trust and comfort in a physician-patient relationship. In the time of COVID-19, we have seen that non-verbal communication, which is conveyed through facial expression, gestures, and other signs that a person is enga...

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Main Author: Allison Jill Bernstein
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: McGill University 2020-08-01
Series:McGill Journal of Medicine
Subjects:
Online Access:https://mjm.mcgill.ca/article/view/287
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author Allison Jill Bernstein
author_facet Allison Jill Bernstein
author_sort Allison Jill Bernstein
collection DOAJ
description Communication, whether it be verbal or non-verbal, is a key element in establishing trust and comfort in a physician-patient relationship. In the time of COVID-19, we have seen that non-verbal communication, which is conveyed through facial expression, gestures, and other signs that a person is engaged in the conversation, is lost, largely due to the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). It has become important during these times to find ways to surmount this obstacle to keep providing professional and meaningful care to our patients. This article will discuss the definition and the importance of non-verbal communication in physician-patient care, as well as why effective communication is crucial to good patient outcomes. Finally, this article will present several strategies to overcome the communication obstacles we are currently facing, in order to continue offering elevated levels of care in this time when communication is most needed.
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spelling doaj.art-cf1cdad13614459cbea1eb6573dcbf0d2022-12-22T00:45:15ZengMcGill UniversityMcGill Journal of Medicine1715-81252020-08-01181Smize: A Mid-Pandemic Guide to Non-Verbal CommunicationAllison Jill Bernstein0Université de SherbrookeCommunication, whether it be verbal or non-verbal, is a key element in establishing trust and comfort in a physician-patient relationship. In the time of COVID-19, we have seen that non-verbal communication, which is conveyed through facial expression, gestures, and other signs that a person is engaged in the conversation, is lost, largely due to the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). It has become important during these times to find ways to surmount this obstacle to keep providing professional and meaningful care to our patients. This article will discuss the definition and the importance of non-verbal communication in physician-patient care, as well as why effective communication is crucial to good patient outcomes. Finally, this article will present several strategies to overcome the communication obstacles we are currently facing, in order to continue offering elevated levels of care in this time when communication is most needed.https://mjm.mcgill.ca/article/view/287COVID-19CommunicationPPEPhysician-patient relationship
spellingShingle Allison Jill Bernstein
Smize: A Mid-Pandemic Guide to Non-Verbal Communication
McGill Journal of Medicine
COVID-19
Communication
PPE
Physician-patient relationship
title Smize: A Mid-Pandemic Guide to Non-Verbal Communication
title_full Smize: A Mid-Pandemic Guide to Non-Verbal Communication
title_fullStr Smize: A Mid-Pandemic Guide to Non-Verbal Communication
title_full_unstemmed Smize: A Mid-Pandemic Guide to Non-Verbal Communication
title_short Smize: A Mid-Pandemic Guide to Non-Verbal Communication
title_sort smize a mid pandemic guide to non verbal communication
topic COVID-19
Communication
PPE
Physician-patient relationship
url https://mjm.mcgill.ca/article/view/287
work_keys_str_mv AT allisonjillbernstein smizeamidpandemicguidetononverbalcommunication