The Talking Cure
Summary
A trip to the doctor is the start of a conversation that provides the link between our everyday lives and the medical profession. Each day in the UK more than a million conversations take place between doctors and patients. When governments, policy makers and others talk about healthcare, these conversations often fade into the background. But conversations are the foundation for our health, with enormous potential impact.An interesting article written by Faizal Farook and Jack Stilgoe of Demos (http://www.demos.co.uk) as a result of the Healthy Conversations Project.
"Approaching its sixtieth birthday, the NHS faces some tough challenges. Success in treating acute illness and failure in prevention mean that medicine will have to manage a flood of chronic illness. This means rethinking relationships between patients, professionals and the public.
Every day in the UK, more than a million conversations take place between doctors and patients. But in the noise of healthcare reform, the small conversations that matter most have been drowned out.
This pamphlet eavesdrops on the conversations that are taking place between doctors and patients, in particular around diabetes and mental illness. Here, professionals are learning to talk and listen to increasingly assertive patients. Improving the quality of conversations is key to empowerment and innovation.
For professionals and policy makers, this means letting go of some old assumptions about expertise and professionalism. The future of healthcare depends not only on new technologies and treatments but also on giving people the space to talk."
Find out more: http://www.demos.co.uk/publications/thetalkingcure
