Clinical Communication

Breaking Bad News to patients can be some of the most difficult conversations clinicians can have . It encompasses a lot more than just palliative care and cancer and is something many clinicians will have to do, regardless of their speciality.Yet there is little easily available guidance on how to go about it outside of basic medical training.There is a way we can have these conversations that can make it easier for both patient and clinician. Which is the topic of this episode. Book Mentioned:Breaking Bad News: A Ten Step Approach - Peter KayeYou can find Ben across social media @BWhybrowPhysioFind this useful? - Please share and subscribe.Got questions, stories to share or guest suggestions? - Send it in to clinicalcommunication@outlook.com

Everyday healthcare clinicians around the world set out to improve the health of their patients by suggesting habits that the patients can adopt to improve their wellbeing. And whilst it is important for the people we see to feel motivated to change, there a certain ways we can suggest these habits occur that will make them more likely to stick.This episode does not consider every aspect of habit formation, but areas covered include; location, timing, environment, routine, monitoring and rewards.Find this useful?Please do share & subscribe.You can also send in questions and stories to clinicalcommunication@outlook.comBen is on social media @BWhybrowPhysioReading suggested:Atomic Habits - James Clear

There is currently no general consensus on how to reassure the person in front of you.But from research so far, what do we know that can make reassurance more effective?In these situations knowing WHAT to say is particularly important, but as is knowing HOW & WHEN to say it.All of which is covered in this episode in just over 10 mins.Find this useful? Then please share it with others & subscribe.Got questions or stories to share?Send them in to clinicalcommunication@outlook.comFurther Reading:Reassurance for patients with non-specific conditions - Traeger et al (2017)https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5537438/pdf/main.pdf Cognitive and affective reassurance and patient outcomes in primary care: a systematic reviewPincus et al (2013)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23872104/

Helping those with persistent pain can be a very challenging but also very rewarding venture. And rather than trying to fix or solve their problem, it requires a different approach of working with them to help them take ownership of the situation and feel in control.On this episode of Clinical Communication Ben is joined by fellow Physiotherapist & Pain Coach Mathilde Kehler, where they discuss:(00:00) - Introduction(02:29) - How Do We Help Patients Understand What A Pain Coach Is?(13:08) - When Should We Ask About Goals?(18:28)- What To Do When Someone With Persistent Pain Comes In Wanting A “Fix”(35:04) - What To Do With Psychosocial Information We Receive(46:24) - What’s The Future Of Pain Coaching? You can find Mathilde on LinkedIn and on Instagram @smerteguidenHer website is:https://smerteguiden.dk/ Live Seminar with Clinical Physio on CBT & Motivational Interviewing:https://www.clinicalphysio.com/cbt-motivational-interviewing/You can find Ben across social media @BWhybrowPhysio Got questions or stories to share? You can send them in toclinicalcommunication@outlook.com

Various evidence exists showing the benefits of injuryprevention programmes for reducing the risk of injury to young athletes, yet uptake in them has not been 100%. So how can we increase the number of young athletes doingregular injury prevention programmes? And how can we influence coaches and organisations to ensure it is implemented?In this Ben is joined by Tom Jacbos, who is a Sports &Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist, and also a trustee for “Power Up To Play”. A charitable organisation aiming to increase young athlete welfare with injury prevention programmes. On this episode they discuss;(00:00:00) - Introduction(00:01:52) - What Made Tom So Interested In InjuryPrevention?(00:06:43) - Should We Still Call Them Injury PreventionProgrammes?(00:17:57) – How Do We Help Young Athletes Buy Into InjuryPrevention Programmes?(00:24:43) – How To Influence Coaches To Implement InjuryPrevention Programmes(00:35:57) – Do Parents Help or Hinder Buy-In To TheProgrammes?(00:38:44) – How Do We Influence Larger Organisations?(00:46:41) – Will Making These Programmes Mandatory Make An Impact?(00:50:16) – What To Say When Coaches Have Doubts About The Programme (00:55:00) – Do The Same Principles Apply To Adult Athletes?(01:02:30) – Tom’s Hardest Clinical Conversation(01:11:11) – What’s The Future For Injury Prevention Programmes?(01:14:23) – How To Find Out More About Power Up To Play You can find more about Power Up To Play here:https://poweruptoplay.org/ You can find Ben across social media @BWhybrowPhysio Got questions or stories to share? Contact clinicalcommunication@outlook.com

Andrew McCauley, a Specialist Physiotherapist & Athletic Development Coach, discusses the significance of influence and persuasion in healthcare communication. He highlights the importance of priming and offers insights into using principles from Cialdini’s work to improve patient outcomes. Topics include the ethics of utilizing scarcity, the power of social proof in building trust, and strategies for enhancing patient commitment. McCauley emphasizes that fostering a strong therapeutic relationship can transform clinical interactions and increase patient adherence.

During the recording of “Clinical Communication” episodes, before guests are asked the deep hard questions, they’re given some easier warm up questions to start with to help them feel comfortable. These are also recorded though not released at the time, until now. Some of this content from earlier episodes has been released on social media, but others from recent episodes have been held onto for this special episode, where you will hear: (00:00) – Introduction (01:26) Jo Gibson: Which Rotator Cuff Muscle Is The Heaviest? How To Build Rapport With Scousers? (04:18) Nick Lividas: Weirdest Body Parts People Have Had Steroid Injections Weirdest Substances Being Injected Where Are We Currently With Stem Cells? (14:29) Ian Reilly: What Is The Future Of Podiatry? Orthotics in Podiatry Original Podiatric Theories Do In-Soles Have To Be Specially Made?   For more, find @BWhybrowPhysio across social media.   Got questions, dilemmas or stories? Send them in to clinicalcommunication@outlook.com

Many healthcare clinicians can probably identify a bunion or toe deformity, but asked anything more than this by patients and most would get stuck. So how do we explain what they are, why they’ve occurred and what the management options are in a way the patient can understand? How do foot surgeons have conversations around surgical options & expectations and explaining risks? In this episode Ben is joined by Ian Reilly, Consultant Podiatric Surgeon & International Lecturer, where they discuss: (00:00:00) – Introduction (00:00:46) – Dad Jokes (00:02:05) – How Romanian Christmas’s Compare To British (00:03:50) – What Made Ian Choose Podiatry & Podiatric Surgery? (00:07:08) – How To Explain What A Bunion Is To A Patient & Why They Have It (00:13:00) – When Surgery Doesn’t Always Go Well (00:17:38) – How To Discuss The Risks Of Foot Surgery (00:21:28) – Shared Decision Making & Informed Consent In Foot Surgery (00:25:20) – What To Say If They Ask “Will My Bunion Come Back After Surgery?” (00:28:07) – How To Manage Different Surgical Opinions (00:30:50) – What To Say If They Ask “How Can I Prevent This Bunion Coming Back?” (00:33:53) – How To Explain What A Hammer Toe Is To A Patient & Why They Have It (00:35:58) – What To Say If A Toe Deformity Is Asymptomatic? (00:39:12) – How To Discuss The Risks Of Toe Deformity Surgery (00:41:05) – How To Discuss Toe Amputations (00:51:28) – How Surgeon Communication Skills Have Changed Over The Years (00:56:10) – Does Better Surgeon-Patient Rapport Lead To Better Outcomes? (00:58:24) – How To Tell A Patient Surgery Isn’t Appropriate (01:02:31) – Always Find Out What Your Patient Wants (01:03:37) – Ian’s Hardest Conversation (01:12:01) – Ian’s Most Rewarding Surgical Outcomes (01:16:00) – Outro Discussion & Ian’s Courses You can find Ian on Social Media here: X/Twitter: @podsurgery Instagram: @podsurgeon YouTube: @IanReillyPodsurgeon As well as on LinkedIn. His website is: https://podsurgeon.co.uk/ You can find Ben across Social Media @BWhybrowPhysio   More information on Podiatric Surgery Training: https://rcpod.org.uk/podiatric-surgery/become-a-podiatric-surgeon#:~:text=Qualified%20podiatrists%20undertake%20postgraduate%20training,Podiatric%20Surgery%20(MOPS)%20programme “Trick or Treatment” Book Mentioned by Simon Singh & Ezard Ernst. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Trick-Treatment-Alternative-Medicine-Trial/dp/0552157627 Have questions/situations you want help with or stories you would like to share? Send them into clinicalcommunication@outlook.com and it may well get read out and answered.

Group programmes can be a part of the management of many long-term conditions, combining various different activities which combined can have greater outcomes than individual components. Whilst suggestions may exist for what kind of content to cover in the specific group, the practicalities of how to run a group and ensure it is effective, have not been discussed in much depth, until now. In this first discussion episode, Ben is joined by Conor Creedon who is a Back Pain Specialist Physiotherapist & First Contact Practitioner. Both Ben & Conor run group programmes for people with persistent pain, in this episode they cover: (00:00:00) – Introduction (00:02:11) – Connors Group Programme (00:06:25) – How Should We Assess If Someone Is Ready For A Group Programme? (00:12:00) – Is It Possible To Individualise Elements Of A Group Programme? (00:17:00) – What Is The Impact Of The “Mechanisation Paradigm” On The Thinking Of Clinicians & Patients? (00:28:44) – How Do We Help Patients Understand The Context Nature Of Long Term Conditions? (00:30:30) – How Using Stories Could Be The Future (00:38:00) – How To Help Patients Understand The Multi-Factoral Nature Of Their Condition, Without Devalidating Their Existing Beliefs. (00:42:43) – How Do We Help Patients Understand These Factors, Without Feeling That It’s Their Fault? (00:48:27) – How To Use An “Accusation Audit” In A Programme (00:53:43) – What To Do When Participants Don’t Get On (00:57:06) – When To Remove Someone From A Programme (00:58:12) – Conor’s Hardest Conversation (01:02:08 – Success Story From Conor’s Programme   You can find Connor on LinkedIn or at www.conorcreedonphysio.co.uk    You can find Ben across social media @BWhybrowPhysio   Got questions/situations you need help with or interesting stories to share? Send it to clinicalcommunication@outlook.com and we’ll read it out.   Books Mentioned: Ian McGilchrist – The Matter With Things Chris Voss- Never Split The Difference Donald Miller – Building A Story Brand Alan Gordon – The Way Out Liam Mannix – Back Up   Baaahhh

Over the past year I've been asked to deliver some talks or webinars to various organisations and departments around clinical communication skills and difficult conversations. One of which I was given permission to record the audio for, and so am releasing now to you. There are interactive elements which you are welcome to play along with at home, work, in the car or wherever you listen. It covers the topics of: What is empathy and how to demonstrate it? How to show you are attentively listening to the person in front of you? How manage difficult conversations around patient expectations? (in this case of imaging) Plus some audience questions at the end. Want to know more? I am @BWhybrowPhysio on X/Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn & YouTube. Please follow & subscribe. Thank you for listening and watching this year.