Autistic people experience more co-occurring health conditions and, on average, die younger than non-autistic people. Despite growing awareness of health inequities, autistic people still report barriers to accessing healthcare. We aimed to explore the experiences of autistic people accessing healthcare, shining a light on the complex interplay of…

An increasing number of studies are investigating the links between autism and borderline personality disorder. Studies report overlapping differences and the challenges in differentiating between these two diagnostic labels. In practice, there are many people, especially autistic women, who feel that they were misdiagnosed with borderline…

Primary care health checks, screenings and GP consultations are often the gateway for people with intellectual disabilities to access their physical and mental healthcare. For a population who experience greater levels of health difficulties alongside significant health inequality, improving care quality and access is of major importance. This…

As the main symptom in palliative care, pain requires careful assessment. Repeating patient answers is one recommended communication technique for helping convey to patients that they have been heard, and to encourage them to say more. We examined 23 episodes where experienced doctors repeat patients' answers with mirrored rhythm and…

The impact of public participants in data analysis has been reported, but there is little research on public involvement of analysis of naturally occurring interactional data. Four video recordings of clinicians from out of hours primary care services visiting care home residents with dementia were analysed in data sessions involving 12 people…

Purpose: This study examined 46 articles in total, which yielded 5 recurring themes: perceived discrimination, language barriers, socioeconomic barriers, cultural barriers and educational/knowledge barriers. The two most dominant themes found were the inability to speak the country's primary language and belonging to a culture with different…

Researching in heterogeneous communities can present challenges for the most experienced of researchers, especially in the context of ethnographic work, where the dynamism and unpredictability of a research setting can make it difficult to anticipate the languages spoken. Drawing on data from multilingual health consultations, I reflect on…

The study presented in this article explores to what extent and in what ways the communication between clinicians and patients on Ask-the-Expert healthcare websites is patient-centred. It further demonstrates the value of using a theory- and text-driven discourse analytical approach for the analysis of verbal communication in a (specific health)…

Good doctor-patient communication may lead to better compliance, higher patient satisfaction, and finally, better health. Although the social variance in how physicians and patients communicate is clearly demonstrated, little is known about what patients with different educational attainments actually prefer in doctor-patient communication. In…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to understand and develop ways to enhance patients' experiences of preoperative education received prior to surgery for colorectal cancer. Design/methodology/approach: Based in the UK, three-action research cycles were undertaken to evaluate preoperative education, identify changes seen by patients and staff…

Objective: Work Place-Based Assessments (WPBAs) were introduced into psychiatry along with the new curriculum in 2005. The Royal College of Psychiatrists decided to pilot several WPBAs to ascertain their suitability. Method: Eight types of assessments (Case-Based Discussion, Assessment of Clinical Expertise, Mini-Assessed Clinical Encounter,…

In the last two decades, undergraduate medical education in the United Kingdom has undergone several important changes. Many of these have revolved around a paradigmatic shift from "paternalistic" to "patient-centred" approaches to healthcare. Adopting a Foucauldian understanding of power and borrowing from Freire's critical…

Introduction: This article reports on a Department of Health UK funded project to implement consensus substance misuse teaching in undergraduate curricula in medical schools in England. The aim was to better equip practising doctors of the future to deal with substance misuse issues. Method: A project coordinator worked with local curriculum…

Recent investigations into the UK National Health Service revealed doctors' failures to act with compassion and professionalism towards patients. The British media asked questions about what happens to students during their learning that influences such behaviour as doctors. We listened to 200 medical students' narratives of professionalism…

Considers traditional approaches to identity across life span, then presents discursive perspective showing how, during interaction, individuals actively construct age-salient identities for themselves and others through talk. Conversational processes of age-identity management are explored in corpus of geriatric medical outpatient consultations.…