Better Physician Writing and Speaking Skills

Abstract

This 118-page paperback carries a title that is extremely relevant to today's undergraduate and postgraduate medical trainees. We live in an era when aspiring doctors and postgraduate trainees must concentrate on sciences from an early stage of their education. As a consequence, skills in the use of both written and spoken language are less well developed and the result is that the communication skills of doctors have become an issue for both patients and the profession. The book therefore carries an expectation that it will provide much-needed instruction in the art of good communication. It is clearly written for an American market and there is occasional use of words that would be unfamiliar, though understandable, to a UK audience. It has chapters covering writing and speaking skills, communication skills, technical writing, writing for publication, conference presentation, grant applications and interpersonal skills. There is no doubt that each area is one in which young trainees often need guidance in the early stages of their careers. The chapter content is occasionally confused, such that under the chapter headed ‘Good Physician Writing is a Communication Skill’ the author wanders into a discussion of verbal communication and body language. The author also advocates the avoidance of technical jargon but actually uses jargon that will lead to confusion among those unfamiliar with the finer points of English grammar. The chapters on preparing to write, writing for publication and grant writing contain useful advice but, overall, the book fails to live up to the promise suggested by the title. There is repetition that gives the impression that the book is a collection of published papers thrown together, rather than a carefully edited combination of previous articles. Sadly, because of the verbose and repetitive nature of the text, the book is unlikely to hold the reader's attention long enough to convey the important messages contained within.