Can Avatars Help Close the Doctor-Patient Communication Gap?

Communication in a doctor’s office is like a marriage gone bad: As you describe to your doctor that what pain or symptoms you have, you realize that while the doctor may hear you, he or she isn’t really listening. And in the other direction, you hear the doctor’s words, but do you walk away with a full understanding of the diagnosis, what exactly you’re being prescribed, why, and what the risks are?

In a recent article in the London Telegraph, fully 25 percent of National Health Service patients complained that their doctors discuss their conditions as if they weren’t there; 20 percent reported that “they were not given enough information about their condition and treatment;” and 25 percent confessed that “there was no one they could talk to about their worries and fears.”[See More]