ANALYSIS OF THE FAMILY PLANNING CONSULTATION – RAPPORT (INTRODUCTION)
It has been shown that positioning chairs in the consulting room so that the doctor and patient face each other across the corner of the desk encourages more verbal interaction than when doctor and patient are on opposite sides of the desk (Pietroni, 1976). Also, it has been estimated that two-thirds of the communication which goes on in a two-person conversation is nonverbal and only one-third verbal.
The beginning of the consultation has proved to be of great interest and of vital importance. Clearly, to get off on the wrong footing may ruin the whole consultation. Neighbour (1987) has analysed this phase in considerable detail. ‘Curtain raisers’ are little throw-away lines such as, ‘You’ll be getting fed up with me’ which may be missed as the patient enters. The consultation has begun at this stage and interventions from now on can disturb the flow of the consultation. Lines such as ‘You are busy today, doctor’ (really meaning ‘you have kept me waiting 40 minutes’) may even provoke some anger in the doctor if pressure of work that day is beyond his or her control.
*336/197/1*
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