DEVELOPING ACTIVE LISTENING SKILLS WITHIN DOCTOR-PATIENT INTERACTIONS
DEVELOPING ACTIVE LISTENING SKILLS WITHIN DOCTOR-PATIENT INTERACTIONS

Summary/Abstract: Developing good communication skills in healthcare settings, for all healthcare professionals, has become a mandatory thing today. Nonetheless, though in recent years, a lot of effort has been put in this direction, patients still complain about the fact they do not feel they are listened to. Also, recent studies show that with the development of technology, doctors tend to rely more on test results, diminishing the importance of listening to the patient’s story. The aim of this paper is to show how active listening should not become a neglected component of the communication process. Looked at from a different perspective, it may be regarded as the most important component of the communication process within doctor-patient interactions. Though usually neglected as a component of the communication process, active listening seems to be given its importance back again, as it is the very tool by means of which a doctor is able to build a trustworthy relationship. By being able to actively listen to their patients, doctors are likely to give better diagnoses and, more importantly, to change those perspectives that traditionally relied only on symptoms, without necessarily paying too much attention to the patient as an individual. Developing active listening skills, doctors will be able to understand more about their patients as they will be able to understand them in their whole context, be it cultural, social, economic or emotional. The quality of the doctor’s ability to listen will determine the whole shape of the doctor-patient interaction.

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