You greatly improve your patients’ outcomes when you jointly construct the story of the illness, weaving the patient’s elaboration of the biomedical and psychosocial threads together with your own hypotheses. This module explores the primary goals of information gathering, which…
Patients usually present to primary care offices with an average of three concerns. Elicitation of all of the patient’s symptoms and concerns in the ambulatory and in-patient setting requires little additional time and diminishes the likelihood of late arising concerns…
A positive doctor-patient relationship is the key to medical care. Substantial evidence indicates that a relationship of trust and respect promotes better adherence to treatment recommendations, better physical and emotional outcomes and the disclosure of patients’ hidden concerns. Furthermore, the…
In this module we introduce the medical interview and review important background concepts. We describe the process of obtaining and communicating a complete history through integration of doctor-centered and patient-centered approaches to obtaining information, and then synthesizing the information into…
Medical education and the medical profession are stressful endeavors, with high rates of burnout and mental health problems, including substance abuse. We will be satisfied and effective clinicians only if we find healthy methods for coping with stress. We cannot…
Clinician patient encounters are therapeutic in and of themselves, independently of diagnostic and therapeutic activities of proven effectiveness. This module identifies the therapeutic elements of clinical encounters, so the learner can be intentional about maximizing these elements with patients. These…
This module examines specific communication skills that promote mindful awareness, a key to effective clinical practice. Mindfulness can also be applied to the acquisition of skills and knowledge, cultivation of caring and healing attitudes, and facing the anxiety of uncertainty….
© 2026
American Board of Medical Specialties | Policies | Sitemap | Terms of Use | www.abms.org
