yemenjmedYemen Journal of MedicinecoVolume 2 Issue 3MultidisciplinaryEnglishSeptember-DecemberNNY20231219ArticleHearing or listening? Respecting the voice of the patient through six simple techniquesEnglishY122123Zachary IMerhavy1EnglishN2EnglishYThomas CVarkey2EnglishYChristieSpann3EnglishY10.32677/yjm.v2i3.4140Physicians and healthcare practitioners often hear the complaint that their patients don't feel heard. Many times, well intentioned practitioners can come off as not caring or dismissive by making simple easy to fix errors in communication. Because of these errors, the emotional portion of the therapeutic relationship can be harmed. One place where this often is seen is in the initial history and physical examination - as the colloquial statement entails, “First impressions are everything”. Herein, the authors provide some minor tips for improving the diagnostic utility of the history and physical examination of patients in order to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of care.Englishhttps://yemenjmed.com/admin/abstract?id=73References1619Swayden KJ, Anderson KK, Connelly LM, et al. Effect of sitting vs. standing on perception of provider time at bedside: a pilot study. Patient education and counseling. 2012 Feb 1;86(2):166-71.Tallman K, Janisse T, Frankel RM, et al. Communication practices of physicians with high patient-satisfaction ratings. The Permanente Journal. 2007;11(1):19.Datta-Barua I, Hauser J. Four communication skills from psychiatry useful in palliative care and how to teach them. AMA Journal of Ethics. 2018 Aug 1;20(8):717-23.Lis CG, Rodeghier M, Gupta D. Distribution and determinants of patient satisfaction in oncology: A review of the literature. Patient preference and adherence. 2009 Nov3;3:287-304.Coleman C, Salcido-Torres F, Cantone RE. and;ldquo;What Questions Do You Have?and;rdquo;: Teaching Medical Students to Use an Open-Ended Phrase for Eliciting Patientsand;#39; Questions. HLRP: Health Literacy Research and Practice. 2022 Jan 1;6(1):e12-6.