How can I tell if my breast cancer doctor is truly interested in my care?

Communication experts tell us that most of us unconsciously read body language when we are talking with others. For example, you can probably tell when your children are getting restless, when your partner is grumpy, or when your mother-in- law wants to go home just by the way they sit, stand, or turn their bodies away from you.

The same happens in doctor-patient relationships. The clues may be subtle, but they are powerful. In fact, the same communication experts say that if we get mixed signals, such as if the doctor is saying nice things but looking bored, we unconsciously believe the body language signal more readily.

Gregory O. Dick, M.D., a reconstructive breast surgeon in Rockville, Maryland says, “If the doctor stands away from you in his starched white coat, or talks to you with a hand on the door handle on his way out, that tells you so much. You can tell that the doctor is sending the signal that they don’t think your questions are important or that they have more important things to do.”