INDIANAPOLIS, July 9 (UPI) -- Doctors with poor communication skills tend to get lost in the computer, interacting with it rather than the patient, a U.S. study finds.
Doctors with good communication skills used eye contact and posture to show interest even while working on the exam room computer, according to Indiana University School of Medicine and the Regenstrief Institute, Inc.
"You may have a great diagnosis but if you can't communicate it to the patient, he or she may not follow up appropriately," said study author medical sociologist Richard Frankel.
Ideally, the computer should be placed on a moveable arm that can be swiveled to a position that allows for eye contact between the doctor and patient, Frankel said. Eventually, Frankel hopes medical school students routinely will be taught how best to use computers when interacting with patients.
