Patient: Doctor, Talk to Me about Benefits and Risks!

Communication is crucial to patient-centred care as research literature shows. The fundamental question of how, what, when and who are more crucial than ever before in patient-doctor communication.  By and large, technology has empowered patients to become informed and take ownership of their health data. Information can be shared faster, but the human factor in conveying information should not be estimated.  At ECR 2021, various lectures focused on different aspects of the communication process. 

“Benefit/risk communication, if done properly, it embodies the practice of patient-centred care,” according to Dr Jonathan Portelli, University Hospital Mosta, Malta. By explaining complex information to patients, the medical practitioner helps to reassure them and assuage their concerns. Moreover, there is a legal obligation, the Council Directive 2013/59/– Euratom, which lays down basic safety standards against the dangers arising from exposure to ionising radiation.

In the lecture “Benefit/risk communication to adult and paediatric patients: top tips,” Dr Portelli pointed out that not much has been written about benefit/risk communication, as illustrated by the limited number of research literature. Different studies have shown that practice is varied regarding who should give information, how much and in which situations.