Published 6 November 2008, doi:10.1136/bmj.a2431
Cite this as: BMJ 2008;337:a2431

Editor's Choice

Patients are ready for partnership

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Why are we still so bad at providing patients with information? Despite the best efforts of some health professionals, communication is often patchy, many questions are never asked for want of an opportunity or for fear of appearing demanding, and answers can be contradictory and confusing. As a result, patients and their families are all too often cast as supplicants, scrabbling for crumbs from medicine’s high table. All of which stands in the way of their ability to understand what’s happening and to be active in decisions about their health. How could we do better?

Tessa Richards has one simple suggestion (doi:10.1136/bmj.a2324). Why don’t we copy patients in on all medical correspondence? Some doctors already do so, but according to the United Kingdom’s Healthcare Commission they are in the minority, despite clear guidance and government pledges. Results of investigations could also be shared, says Richards. "Doctors should not . . . [Full text of this article]

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    StumbleUpon    Technorati    What's this?

Relevant Articles

Cutting out human error

Jane Feinmann
BMJ 2008 337: a2370. [Extract] [Full Text]

Prevention of type 2 diabetes in British Bangladeshis: qualitative study of community, religious, and professional perspectives

Clare Grace, Reha Begum, Syed Subhani, Peter Kopelman, and Trisha Greenhalgh
BMJ 2008 337: a1931. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Preventing diabetes in Bangladeshi people in Britain

Shifalika Goenka
BMJ 2008 337: a2010. [Extract] [Full Text]

Copy them in

Tessa Richards
BMJ 2008 337: a2324. [Extract] [Full Text]

Fresh thinking about the Declaration of Helsinki

Michael D E Goodyear, Lisa A Eckenwiler, and Carolyn Ells
BMJ 2008 337: a2128. [Extract] [Full Text]

Rapid Responses:

Read all Rapid Responses

Sharing information across language and cultural divides

Jill F Pattenden, et al.
bmj.com, 7 Nov 2008 [Full text]

'Parents'! Trust your 'teenagers'!

Mitzi A J Blennerhassett
bmj.com, 10 Nov 2008 [Full text]

Growth demands a temporary surrender of security.

BM Hegde
bmj.com, 9 Nov 2008 [Full text]

50 years on.

Victor B Maxwell
bmj.com, 10 Nov 2008 [Full text]

Growth demands changed thinking in the great and the good

Mitzi AJ Blennerhassett
bmj.com, 13 Nov 2008 [Full text]

Re: Growth demands a temporary surrender of security.

Sumithra Jospeh Kundibellala
bmj.com, 8 Feb 2009 [Full text]

Online poll

Find out more >>