Clinical Communication

Exercise is one of the most common treatment suggestions for low back pain. Yet outcomes in the research are variable. What are some of the contextual factors that can influence the outcome of using exercise to treat low back pain? And how much does adherence really matter? On this episode Ben is joined by Lianne Wood, Senior Research Fellow at the University of Exeter and Advanced Practice Physio...

The use of stem cells to treat various medical issues includingjoint pain is gaining more and more awareness, which means patients are asking about them more frequently. Yet most of us know very little about them, so how should weanswer the questions that commonly come up? On this episode Ben is joined by Dr Ansar Mahmood, Consultant Orthopaedic Trauma Surgeon and American Board Certified in Regen...

It is estimated over 190 million women around the world haveendometriosis, and with awareness increasing and more management options becoming available, those with the diagnosis may have more questions than ever before. On this episode of clinical communication Ben is joined by Pauline-Clare Callaghan, Specialist Pelvic Health Physiotherapist and Educator with Endometriosis UK. On this episode the...

Shared decision making appears in almost every clinical guideline — but in the real world of clinical practice, how often do we actually do it well? In this episode of Clinical Communication, Ben is joined by David Alderson, Senior Lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University and Specialist First Contact Physiotherapist, whose specialist interest is shared decision making during consultations. They exp...

Fibromyalgia can be a tricky condition to discuss as various opinions on it exist across society and evidence around it is always evolving. Thankfully on this episode Ben is joined by Derek Griffin, Specialist Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy and International Speaker on persistent pain management, especially Fibromyalgia. On this episode they discuss: (00:00:00) - Introduction (00:01:15) - Awareness...

Before every Clinical Communication episode extra questionsare asked to guests to help them get settled in. The responses aren’t released at the time, until now… On this bonus content episode: (00:00) - Introduction (00:56) - Ian CowellHow A Cognitive Functional Therapy Paper Comes Together (14:16) - Jo TurnerHow Clinicians Can Feel Comfortable Not Always Knowing The Answer (20:32) - Chris Tiley W...

Clinical communication knowledge is always progressing andwe are way beyond just listening and having good rapport. So what else do we need to consider and how should it be taught to future healthcare professionals? This episode is from a recording of the “Healthcare Education Transformation” podcast that Ben was recently on with Dr F Scott Feil, where we discuss: (00:00) – Introduction (07:21) -...

More resources are becoming available on how to supportthose with persistent pain, yet challenging conversations can still occur, especially when someone is still going through a medical journey and expectations are still uncertain. This episode is a recording between Ben and Dr Mark Kargela, Specialist Physical Therapist in Persistent Pain, on Mark’s “Modern Pain Podcast” where they discuss: (00:...

A few weeks ago I was a guest on the Physio Pulse podcastwith Jeff Morton & James Horner. They kindly gave me a copy of the recording to release here, where we discuss: (00:00:00) – Introduction (00:05:00) - How Ben Became A Communication Skills Facilitator (00:10:50) - Why Communication Skills Are Becoming More Embraced By Clinicians (00:19:51) - Does Having A Specialist Job Title & Appea...

It is well known that the more perceived expertise andcompetence we have in someone, the more likely we are to trust them and have a better outcome. This is great if you are a clinician with extensive expertisein a certain area, though not all of us are. But there are ways we can sound like an expert to achieve the same results without being disingenuous. Which is the topic of this short episode....

How To Reassure Patients with Ian Cowell Reassurance is included in clinical practice guidelines acrosshealthcare and is usually a part of any assessment. Yet, very little research and guidance existed on how to go about doing it. But there has been recent new research that suggests whatdoes (and doesn’t) work when trying to reassure those with chronic low back pain, which could be applied across...

Plenty of podcast, articles, videos and other resources talk through the words and analogies we can say to help someone understand their pain. This can give clinicians the right words to say, but they may still have no effect, as it is not just knowing WHAT to say, but knowing WHEN and HOW to say it. This episode is the audio from a recent webinar I have given called "Advanced Pain Communicat...

Many men can be affected by pelvic pain and related conditions but often find it hard to talk about it, with clinicians at times not always knowing what to say. In this episode Ben is joined by Bill Taylor who is a Specialist Physiotherapist & Teacher in Male Pelvic Pain. In this episode they discuss; (00:00:00) – Introduction (00:00:44) – How To Start The Male Pelvic Pain Conversation (00:21:...

Resistance and strength training is often highly recommended for the management of many conditions affecting older adults, with many guidelines and recommendations available. Yet many barriers can get in the way, whether they’re physical, psychological or something else. In this episode Ben is joined by Physiotherapist & Author of “Never Too Old To Lift” Chris Tiley, where they discuss: (00:00...

Every clinician is asked to deliver some teaching orpresentation throughout their career, whether this is to groups of patients, students or colleagues. Yet hardly any of us receive any formal teaching training. We’ve all attended talks which seemed interesting on thesurface, but failed to engage us. So how do we avoid making the same mistake? On this episode Ben is joined by Kate Purcell, Advance...

Clinicians are often encouraged to take on a coaching,rather than fixing, role when working with patients. There’s lots of resources now available on how to do this, yet for some, this may be a new and challenging concept. Plus, some unanswered questions still exist; What if the patient doesn’t want to be coached? What if I ask the wrong questions? Am I still providing value if the patient solves...

Menstrual cycles are considered the fifth vital sign for awomans health and can have an impact on functions all over the body. Yet many clinicians may feel uncomfortable discussing the topic with the person in front of them, with little guidance on how and when to raise the subject. Until Now. On this episode Ben is joined by Michelle Lyons, SpecialistPhysiotherapist and Lecturer in Pelvic and Wom...

During every guest interview extra questions are asked at the beginning before the main episode to help get the conversation started. Whilst these are not released at the time, they are recorded and add value, and now bonus content from recent guests is ready to be released. This bonus content episode involves: (00:00) – Introduction Matt Wedderburn (00:44) - When & How To Ask ICE Questions (0...

First Contact Practitioners/Physiotherapists have been an evolving role for over the past five years, with it becoming a role that more senior clinicians are going into. Yet with this new role comes new challenges; time limitations, more diagnostic uncertainty and different expectations from both patients and other clinicians. In this episode Ben is joined by Matt Wedderburn, First Contact Physiot...

Many clinicians find discussing weight with the person infront of them daunting, and yet weight can have a significant impact on multiple conditions and outcomes. How do we raise the subject without offending them? What should we say (or not say)? In this episode Ben is joined by Ben Steele-Turner, Physiotherapist with an Msc in Human Nutrition and ongoing with a PhD into how Physiotherapists can...

Millions of people around the world regularly run for exercise and pleasure and become the identity of a runner. Yet when they need help from a healthcare clinician, some unique conversational challenges can occur with this patient group. On this episode Ben is joined by Matt Phillips, Sports Therapist and creator of Run Chat Live, where they discuss: (00:00) - Intro (00:51) - The Down Side Of Com...

Our biggest learning moments are not from our successes, but from our failures. Today I'm giving 3 examples of when my communication skills failed and I couldn't help the person in front of me. Plus, more importantly the important lesson I took from them, which had nothing to do with words, language or tone of voice. Whilst this podcast can tell you how to improve your clinical communicati...

Breaking Bad News to patients can be some of the most difficult conversations clinicians can have . It encompasses a lot more than just palliative care and cancer and is something many clinicians will have to do, regardless of their speciality. Yet there is little easily available guidance on how to go about it outside of basic medical training. There is a way we can have these conversations that...

Everyday healthcare clinicians around the world set out to improve the health of their patients by suggesting habits that the patients can adopt to improve their wellbeing. And whilst it is important for the people we see to feel motivated to change, there a certain ways we can suggest these habits occur that will make them more likely to stick. This episode does not consider every aspect of habit...

There is currently no general consensus on how to reassure the person in front of you. But from research so far, what do we know that can make reassurance more effective? In these situations knowing WHAT to say is particularly important, but as is knowing HOW & WHEN to say it. All of which is covered in this episode in just over 10 mins. Find this useful? Then please share it with others &...