A recent feature online at WNPR News, “Medical Students in New Haven Learn How to Deliver Bad News,” I have taught patient centered interviewing to students and residents for 35 years, practice true patient centered care throughout my career. Many of the teachers now were my students back then–and after leaving full-time status at University of North Carolina, I founded the Drossman Center for Education and Practice of Biopsychosocial Care, fulfilling a passion of mine to improve doctor-patient relationships in a way that ultimately improves health care delivery and outcomes by achieving physician and patient satisfaction and reducing unnecessary health care costs.

Our work at the Drossman Center teaches communication skills and ways to improve the patient-doctor relationship. Relying on 35 years of experience, we are presenting lectures and workshops (such as the Rome Foundation AGA Communication Workshops), training physicians all over the world–both in groups and one-on-one, with several prominent international physicians spending time working alongside me at my practice where they receive a full-immersion, hands-on training in patient-centered biosychosocial care.

What we are trying to do at the Drossman Center is to communicate the basics of good communication skills to clinicians and patients so that a higher quality of information is obtained and is done in a fashion that builds and strengthens the relationship. It’s not what you do (in the amount of time available) but how you do it that makes the difference. I encourage physicians to contact the Drossman Center to learn more about how our customized educational programs, resources and expertise can help their practices, medical centers and hospitals increase their efficiency, improve patient satisfaction and increase external funding for their health care programs.

Check out the following videos for a look at the Drossman Center’s approach to patient-centered care and effective communications:

Quick links to the PBS Videos on YouTube

Second Opinion: Mystery Diagnosis

Second Opinion- IBS

Douglas A. Drossman, MD