Maintaining communication in a time of uncertainty

Today, the move to managed care and ever-ballooning technology have created new challenges for communication between physician and patient. Good communication involves a set of acquired skills that medical schools and continuing medical education programs are finally beginning to teach. One model for mastering these skills is known as the four Es: engage, empathize, educate, and enlist. The four-E model, created by the Bayer (formerly Miles) Institute for Health Care Communication in West Haven, Conn, includes techniques that can help improve a physician's ability to communicate with patients.