Talking with patients about evidence

After reading this chapter, you should be able to:
• Describe why it is important that health professionals communicate effectively with their
patients
• Understand what is meant by the term patient-centred care
• Explain what is meant by shared decision making and discuss some of the challenges
associated with it and the strategies that can be used to facilitate it
• List the key communication skills needed by health professionals when talking with
patients about evidence
• Describe the various methods that can be used for communicating information to
patients, the main considerations associated with each method, and the major
factors that should be considered when deciding which communication tool(s)
to use with a patient
• Explain how to effectively communicate statistical information to
patients