Abstract
Communication between medical professionals and patients is an important aspect of therapy and patient satisfaction. Common
barriers that get in the way of effective communication in this sphere include: (1) gender, age, and cultural differences;
(2) physical or psychological discomfort or pain; (3) medical literacy; and (4) distraction due to technological factors or
simply being overworked. The author examines these communicative barriers from a philosophical lens and then utilizes
Martin Heidegger’s phenomenology and hermeneutics to provide guidance for medical professional–patient interactions.
The phenomenological approach espoused emphasizes the particular, contextual nature of such interactions, and thus is
opposed to abstract, theoretical principles. Heidegger’s hermeneutics provides a philosophical approach to communication
that may guide the back-and-forth interpretation that should happen between medical professionals and patients to achieve
effective communication.