LFU:online

Prerequisites: B2

Goal: B2+
The aim of this course is to facilitate effective communication with patients in English. By focusing on the five elements of good communication, students will learn and develop the language and communication skills necessary for consultations.

Topics:
effective communication; receiving the patient; the presenting complaint; past medical and family history; a patient’s social history; telephone consultations; examining a patient; giving results; planning treatment; closing an interview; dealing with sensitive issues

Linguistic Goals:

greeting patients and putting them at ease; asking the opening question; encouraging patients to express themselves; requesting and taking a history; asking about pain; taking effective notes; effective telephone consultations; checking information; examining a patient; explaining results; explaining medical terminology to a patient; giving a diagnosis and prognosis; explaining a treatment; describing benefits and side effects of treatment; giving instructions; advising on lifestyle; broaching sensitive issues; holding a presentation; giving feedback; standard medical abbreviations; language of probability
Structural Goals:

formulating effective questions; using phrases to clarify; facilitate and ask for repetition; adjectives for pain; phrasal verbs with up; describing the state of health; expressions for signposting and summarising; indirect language for polite instructions; using softeners; phrases for organising information; making suggestions; prepositions; overview of useful tenses: past simple, past continuous, present perfect, present perfect continuous

interactive language instruction: Analysing relevant examples of the target language and practising appropriate production

oral
final test (speaking/dialogues)

McCullagh, M., & Wright, R. (2008). Good practice: Communication skills in English for the medical practitioner. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Units 1-8