COMMUNICATION AND THE MEDICAL CARE PROCESS (Zita Feron); SEVEN LINGUISTIC LEVELS OF LANGUAGE; GUEST EDITOR SPEAKS (Paula Bower)

This issue anticipated the problems of communication between health provider and patient and between providers. The seven levels of linguistics (communication) are summarized along with examples of efforts to communicate between a patient and a doctor. The Guest Editor piece speaks to the history of communication at Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital which used its clinics populated by the poor immigrants flowing into upper Manhattan as a source of teaching material. Communication became an important factor to overcome not only there but across the country. Today’s solution is electronic medical records along with 5-6 minute person-provider encounter.