
Articles for Doctors
Welcome to our articles specifically intended for doctors interested in mental. This free resource will grow over time to include a range of mental health topics that we hope will be of interest and useful to doctors, wherever they might be.

Effective Doctor-Patient Communication: Research-Backed Techniques to Improve Outcomes
Effective doctor‐patient communication is vital to quality care, directly enhancing patient outcomes, adherence, and satisfaction while reducing malpractice risks. This article provides a guide for practising clinicians and medical students, detailing research-backed techniques such as active listening, empathy, and shared decision-making, along with clear, jargon-free explanations and the use of non-verbal cues. It reviews structured communication frameworks—including the six core functions of a medical interview and the SPIKES protocol for delivering bad news—and offers practical strategies for handling difficult conversations and fostering ongoing patient engagement.

Motivational Interviewing in Medical Practice
This article explores Motivational Interviewing (MI) as an evidence-based, patient-centred approach that transforms traditional, prescriptive consultations into collaborative conversations. It outlines MI’s core techniques—such as open-ended questioning, reflective listening, and eliciting change talk—and demonstrates how these methods effectively address patient ambivalence to foster meaningful behavioural changes across conditions like diabetes, hypertension, smoking cessation, and obesity. The inclusion of detailed clinical examples and case studies highlights MI’s practical application in both general practice and specialist settings, underscoring its significant impact on treatment adherence, clinical outcomes, and the overall therapeutic alliance.