Learning to communicate clinical reasoning

Clear and effective communication of clinical reasoning is essential for all healthcare professional practice,especially in the current healthcare climate. Increasing litigation leading to legal requirements for comprehensive information exchange between healthcare professionals and clients (including their carers) and the drive for active consumer involvement are just two factors that emphasize the importance of clear communication and collaborative decision making. Poor communication skills affect patient safety and quality of care (Levett Jones et al., 2010), and good communication is an important factor in patient satisfaction (Hills and Kitchen, 2007).