Developing Effective Communication between Doctors and Clients: Sexual and Reproductive Health Consultations

the overall aim of the project was to understand how spoken messages are conveyed and received by doctors and clients in sexual health consultations. more specifically the aims were:
1. to describe and analyse the language and communication strategies used by doctors and and clients within consultations in fpnsw
2. to examine fpnsw consultations in terms of differing demographics, cultural and linguistic styles, beliefs and attitudes of both clients and doctors
3. through follow-up interviews, to analyse the congruence or disparity between the messages conveyed and received by both doctors and clients.

it is the balance between the medical and the interpersonal that determines the effectiveness of a consultation. establishing an interpersonal relationship with a client has implications beyond making the person ‘feel good’ about his or her experience. we propose that positive interpersonal relationships between doctors and clients result in more collaborative interactions which create a reciprocal flow of information. in turn, this produces better clinical outcomes such as mutually agreed treatment plans and better client compliance.