A new communication model for procedure-oriented health care professionals

Abstract

Many health care communication models have been proposed, yet previous models have focused on the consultation and omit the communication needs of patients during procedures. Consider the challenges of communicating during a dental procedure, for example, in which the patient cannot talk or is experiencing anxiety or pain. How does the health care provider convey care and respect during such encounters? A new communication model, ISLEEP, fosters patient-centered interactions for consults and procedures. There are six categories of actionable, observable behaviors in ISLEEP: introduce/interconnect, solicit, listen, empathize, explain, and affirm the power of the patient. Here, we discuss the basics of each ISLEEP skill as well as the applications of these skills for each phase of care, including consultations, immediately before procedures, during procedures, after procedures, and health counseling. Several included videos demonstrate the ISLEEP skills during live patie  nt encounters.