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Taking Time to Truly Listen to Our Patients

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Distracted Doctoring

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Abstract

In modern clinical practice, listening is hindered by changes in the environment such as the implementation of the electronic record and the increasing use of testing. Yet, there are important dividends to deep listening, including an enhancement of accurate data gathering for better diagnostic reasoning as well as witnessing the patient’s experience and alleviating the alienation of illness. Methodologies such as mindfulness, narrative medicine, presence, and better design of clinical spaces can help facilitate close listening in clinical spaces. When close listening occurs, patients benefit and physicians also connect with a deeper sense of service and purpose, which is necessary for a satisfying career in clinical work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, USA

    Deepthiman Gowda MD, MPH

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  1. Deepthiman Gowda MD, MPH
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Correspondence to Deepthiman Gowda MD, MPH .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Rochester Medical Center, Pittsford, New York, USA

    Peter J. Papadakos

  2. Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures, The University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario, Canada

    Stephen Bertman

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Gowda, D. (2017). Taking Time to Truly Listen to Our Patients. In: Papadakos, P., Bertman, S. (eds) Distracted Doctoring. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-48707-6_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-48707-6_7

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-48706-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-48707-6

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