| December 27, 1999 | 03 00050 61 99122701 |
Mr. Clarence H. Braddock III, MD, MPH
Assistant Professor
braddock@u.washington.edu
College of Medicine
Medicine, Adj Med History and Ethics
University of Washington
1660 S. Columbian Way; VAMC (14A); ACOS/Education
Box 358280
Seattle, WA 98108
Mr. Michael J. Barry, MD
barry.micheal@mgh.harvard.edu
Department of Medicine
General Internal Medicine
Massachusetts General Hospital
55 Fruit Street
Boston, MA 02114
| Subject: | Helping Doctor/Patient Partnership |
|
Better Health from Better Communication |
Dear Doctors,
This confirms calls today on the report by ABC News in which you were quoted concerning studies showing critical information is omitted in 90% of communication between doctors and patients. The problem is chronic in all meetings, calls and correspondence, especially email, throughout all industries, making...
(see
my paper on September 24, 1999). The solution requires better
work practices, tools and roles, what I call the science of
Communciation Metrics. Since communication is a predicate to action,
improvement reduces mistakes in medical practice and other fields. It requires
leadership and education to overcome ignorance and denial. Sounding the alarm,
as you have done, is the first step. President Clinton's recent announcement
of a
national initiative to cut medical mistakes
is a strong second
step.
Real improvement requires trying different methods, i.e., change, which is strongly resisted. Two initial ideas are...
Thanks very much for your input.
Sincerely,
THE WELCH COMPANY
Rod Welch
rowelch@attglobal.net