Good Practice

McCullagh/Wright

Upper-intermediate, Advanced

Good Practice focuses on the language and communication skills that doctors need to make consultations more effective through a focus on five elements of good communication: verbal communication, active listening, voice management, non-verbal communication and cultural awareness.

The course teaches learners how to handle a range of situations sensitively, such as taking a patient history, breaking bad news, examining a patient and describing treatment options, as well as preparing doctors for dealing with different types of patients, from children to the elderly.

The Good Practice DVD is a unique tool that offers students the chance to observe a range of doctor-patient encounters. As well as consolidating language and communication strategies presented in the Student's Book, the DVD also allows learners to explore the importance and impact of non-verbal communication. Each DVD sequence is accompanied by a worksheet that encourages students to reflect on various aspects of the consultation. The worksheets can be found in the Good Practice Teacher's Book and are downloadable from the website.

With reference to numerous medical communication experts, and through exposure to authentic clinical scenarios, the course demonstrates the impact of good communication on the doctor-patient relationship and enables students to become confident and effective practitioners in English.

Good Practice won The BESIG David Riley Award for Innovation in Business English in 2008 and was also shortlisted for the 2008 British Council Innovation Awards.