Six things to NEVER say to a patient

Let’s face it: Like everyone else, physicians don’t always say the right things. “Do you always weigh that much?” is an example that we heard about, um, somewhere. And when we polled for cringe-worthy comments, a few physicians teased, “Huh, where’d my watch go?” and “Which leg are we operating on?”

But there are less obvious and more insidious phrases that find their way into physician-patient interactions and eat away at patient confidence. Good patient care requires good communication as much as well-honed clinical skills.

Here’s your guide to six common phrases physicians too often say to patients, but shouldn’t: