Patients expect to receive ever-expanding clarity when communicating with their physician and physicians feel the pressure to see patients in an expediently-efficient timeframe; herein lays the problem that generates an expanding log of complaints to the Medical Board.

A great share of these complaints represents patients’ allegations of physician rudeness, stressed speech, or communicating in an uncaring way. We are not infallible; however, more attention can be paid to the manner in which we communicate to those we serve.

The purpose of this article is to sensitize all of us to our communication and to provide a list of communication errors that may generate complaints.

• If you listen long enough the patient will not only tell you the problems but the diagnosis; therefore, provide an appropriate listening frame to your physician-patient visit. Many complainants allege physician rudeness based upon this observation.
• Never comment on a patient’s appearance or anatomical features unless it is germane to the office visit, their health, or a response to the conversation at hand. The failure to observe this communication error generates many patient complaints to the Board.
• If you are having an awkward or particularly difficult day, inform the front office of it and ask them to have the complaining, waiting room patients to be tolerant. You have no idea of the number of complainants that remark on how long they had to wait.
• If you are angry with a patient, provide a medically sound reason, being careful to state the basis for the anger, and don’t complete the discussion without a statement for its resolution understood by all parties. Then document it. This represents at least 80% of communication complaints. In nearly