Leave it to the Brits, who gave us Shakespeare and Chaucer, to focus on the linguistic style of physicians. Consider, for example, the riddle of achieving weight loss. Charlotte Albury, DPhil, and co-authors explore this topic in a recent article in the Annals of Internal Medicine (“Relationship Between Clinician Language and the Success of Behavioral Weight Loss Interventions,” November 2023). What did our Right Honorable colleagues conclude? 

Conversational analysis was undertaken among 246 patients with obesity and 87 clinicians. The style of speech was then analyzed and placed in one of three categories labeled “Good News,” “Bad News” or “Neutral.” The authors note that by relying on audiotapes they missed non-verbal communication. The study remains enlightening, nevertheless.