Communication between anaesthesiologists and patients: how are we doing it now and how can we improve?

The purpose of this review is to present and bring together the relatively small body of recent work on anaesthesiologist-patient communication.

Anaesthesiologists and patients may have different 'agendas' during their consultations, with anaesthesiologists focusing more on information and patients more on the emotional aspects of care. As effective communication implies a two-way process, anaesthesiologists should be aware of this. Communication can make good use of written media, video, E-mail and telephone as well as face-to-face interaction. The content of communication, both verbal and nonverbal, is critical but much of this is learned informally despite the recent interest in teaching communication skills. Some recent studies have observed and described how communication is actually performed in practice and these are a useful starting point for reflection and experiment. The few studies to examine whether communication can improve outcomes for patients have all produced broadly positive findings. Communication with children, communicating about risk and dealing with the aftermath of anaesthetic disasters are also reviewed specifically.

Communication between anaesthesiologists and patients is essential for effective clinical practice. Some practical suggestions are made and pointers to further reading given.