Intended for healthcare professionals

Letters Covid-19 communications

Covid-19 communication—a matter of life and death?

BMJ 2020; 371 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m4390 (Published 16 November 2020) Cite this as: BMJ 2020;371:m4390
  1. Simon Hodes, general practitioner (partner)
  1. Bridgewater Surgeries, Bridgewater House, Watford WD18 7QR, UK
  1. simon.hodes{at}nhs.net

Oliver is spot on that many failings in the pandemic response are really public communication failings.1 Communication is paramount. About 80% of medical diagnoses are made on history alone, and most medical complaints are caused by poor communication. In a pandemic everyone in society needs to play their part. This relies on clear communication.

The UK government website for requesting testing has no information on what you should do while waiting. It omits a key public health …

View Full Text

Log in

Log in through your institution

Subscribe

* For online subscription