Making the most out of doctor-patient conversations

As doctors engage patients in conversations about their health, they need skills they didn't necessarily learn in medical school.

Those conversations are becoming increasingly important, as evidence shows that patients who are thoroughly involved in their own health care experience better results.

The Daily Circuit examines the roles of the doctor and the patient as they create a care or treatment plan together.

LEARN MORE ABOUT DOCTOR-PATIENT CONVERSATIONS:

• How to get patients to care about health care costs
"In a study of more than 33,000 patients in the Fairview Health System, researchers found that those with the lowest patient activation levels had the highest health care costs." (MPR News)

• Less medicine for overwhelmed patients
"It's hard enough to live with a chronic condition like diabetes, says Dr. Victor Montori of the Mayo Clinic. But sometimes doctors make it harder, by piling on more tests and treatments than the patient can bear. In an era of checklist medicine, Montori is trying to push the pause button. He believes that, before doctors pull out their prescription pads, they should have a heart-to-heart talk with patients who have complex conditions about how much medicine they really want to put up with." (Maura Lerner, Star Tribune)

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