Conversation Failure: Case Studies in Doctor-Patient Communication
Frederic W. Platt. Tacoma, Washington: Life Sciences Press; 1993. 183 pages. $16.95.
Sixty-eight examples of varieties of failed or disturbing (to the physician) communications between patient and physician. Each is followed by Dr. Platt's analysis of the problem and his suggestions for alternative content or method in communication. Long-time readers of this journal who remember Dr. Platt's seminal paper, "Clinical Hypocompetence: The Interview" (Ann Intern Med. 1979; 91:898-902) will know the value of the perspective he brings to this frequent central problem in practice.
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