Talk before they sleep: strategies for patient-centred communication in anaesthesiology

Patient-physician communication is an integral part of daily anaesthetic practice. Although it is an undeniably powerful means of building a solid therapeutic alliance, several of its fundamental aspects are often overlooked, which can hinder successful communication in the preoperative period. We outline these underexploited elements by analysing the various phases of preoperative patient-physician interactions to provide the practising anaesthesiologist with a useful framework for achieving thoughtful and patient-centred communication.