The medical consultation, dealing as it does with subjects that are often difficult to express honestly and openly, represents a masterclass in linguistics: the way imagery and metaphor – and repetitions, omissions, rejoinders, non sequiturs, hesitations, and silences – convey more meaning, and can be more revealing, than mere words.
The pre- and post-intervention OSTEs contained the same communication skills: explaining a procedure, breaking bad news and a conversation with a patient's family in the inpatient setting; and explaining a diagnosis, time management during a consultation and dealing with an angry patient in the outpatient setting.
The government is increasingly using insider conversations rather than open consultations when dealing with the voluntary sector.
Energy UK added that it launch a consultation this summer about dealing with complaints it cannot fix in 48 hours.
The consultation, Options for dealing with squatting, details new measures to criminalise the practice of squatting, including "strengthening" related laws.
"If the government wishes to evolve the safeguard over time into a major driver of abatement, that will be complex and need deep consultation, particularly on dealing with trade competitiveness issues and avoiding excessive administration and compliance costs".
Investing time in one consultation to deal with important issues raised by patients may shorten subsequent consultations (Brown et al, 2001).
