Knowledge, mistakes, communication with patients and informed consent

Abstract

BACKGROUND Communication is very important in medical activity, particularly to maintain or re-establish trust-based relationships between patients, doctors, nurses and all the people who work in Hospital or for the Italian National Health Service. Health services include the relationship between doctors and patients: the partnership is important as much as the technical ability in Medicine. But it is difficult to learn empathy: doctors are not taught about that at University, nor afterwards, at least not sufficiently. CONCLUSIONS The informed consent form, even if it is very detailed, is not the real answer to that problem.

Keywords

• Communication
• Doctor-patient partnership
• Informed consent.