Health Science Interview

I interviewed Dr. Benjamin Knight, Junior, a retired oral surgeon from Lynchburg, Virginia. During Dr. Knight's years in practice he managed his own office as well as hired nurses and medical staff to assist him. When I asked Dr. Knight about the types of communication he felt was important in his line of work, he answered "Charts must be perfect; clear and concise. After I work on a patient he is often sent back to his doctor or dentist, who must be able to understand what work was performed on that patient. If lack of communication occurs, damaging results may follow." I also asked Dr. Knight about communication between himself and his patients. He told me that it is always important to be able to effectively communicate procedures to patients before these procedures are performed. It is always important that every patient knows the process and any possible outcome that may result. Dr. Knight said, "Although in my head something makes sense, often times patients do not understand what I am telling them. I have to keep calm; sometimes I explain the same thing over and over before people realize what I am trying to say."
When I asked Dr. Knight about preparation for working in the medical field, he remarked that the most important preparation is "Understanding medical terminology. Most errors are a result of bad communication between doctors, and one way to prevent that is to use the same 'language'". He said that in this line of work, medical personnel cannot make up their own words or use slang very often. When writing patient charts one must describe in full detail, even if something seems irrelevant at the time. Any medical staff must be able to also listen effectively in order to both write and communicate effectively.
I asked Dr. Knight if he felt he used technical writing in his field. He replied "I use nomenclature that others can understand. Many times my charts were reviewed by my nurses and other doctors, they always needed to know precisely what I was talking about. "
Lastly, I asked Dr. Knight whether he felt writing or oral communication was more important in the medical field. He replied that each is equally important. "Documenting work is always necessary, and communication with patients and especially to other physicians must be concise in order to have everything run smoothly. Otherwise you run into trouble."