Patient Practitioner Interaction: An Experiential Manual for Developing the Art of Health Care, ed 3.

Patient Practitioner Interaction: An Experiential Manual for Developing the Art of Health Care, ed 3 Davis CM, ed. Thorofare, NJ 08086, Slack Inc, 1998, paperback, 352 pp, $32.

This third edition is a practical and interactive workbook designed for physical therapist students, clinicians, and educators to help them complete the process of professional socialization. This process, which covers areas such as attitudes, behaviors, values, and communication skills, has too often relied on mentoring and clinically irrelevant psychology classes. Patient Practitioner Interaction maintains its clinical relevancy throughout the text, while it invites readers to examine themselves concerning clinical choices, patient interactions, and communication.

The editor's goals are (1) to help readers learn more about themselves in order to relate to patients with more sensitivity and compassion and with less prejudice and negativity and (2) to help readers know how and when to act appropriately by incorporating knowledge, logic, and professional training as well as beliefs, attitudes, values, and "heart." The book meets these goals well, not only by the didactic material it presents, but also by its presentation format. Learning objectives begin each chapter and add clarity and focus to the discussion. The book's format encourages self-examination through well-described exercises at the end of each chapter. These practical exercises provide readers with an opportunity to probe deeply into the feelings and beliefs that direct their behavior, choices, and communication skills as a health professional. Although the exercises are designed for the classroom, many could be adapted for self-study.

In each self-contained chapter, the chapter author has gathered information appropriate to the topic from the field of psychology and from personal experience so that readers can examine themselves without being overwhelmed by psychological theory and jargon. The reader may be inspired to further study or to consult an expert if questions arise that are not answered in this workbook.

Patient Practitioner Interaction is divided into 2 sections. The first section contains 4 chapters on self-awareness and self-esteem, including a chapter on values and a chapter on identifying and resolving moral dilemmas. These chapters are particularly helpful in this age of managed care when practitioners are required to make choices. Section 2 contains 11 chapters on interpersonal interaction, 5 of which are new in the third edition and are written by 3 contributing authors. These additional chapters cover improving communication skills in the helping interview, disability and cultural sensitivity, neurolinguistic programming, and health behavior and effective patient education.

Patient Practitioner Interaction brings professional socialization of the physical therapist student into the 21st century. The success of the first 2 editions of this workbook demonstrates that it fills a need in the education system, as this third edition will undoubtedly continue to do. In addition to being valuable to the student, the workbook is also valuable to all rehabilitation professionals who wish to examine their attitudes, beliefs, values, and communication skills and the impact of these attributes on themselves and others in the clinic. Although Patient Practitioner Interaction is recommended specifically for physical therapist students, educators, and practitioners, it would also be a valuable learning tool for any health care practitioner or student who wants to study professional socialization from the perspective of personal experience.

Kathryn Schaefer, PT Physical Therapy Health Center Arlington, Va

Ms Schaefer is owner of Physical Therapy Health Center. Her private practice specializes in adult orthopedics and manual medicine.