The art of non-verbal communication in healthcare

HIV-positive Shana Reynolds-Fairleys internal medicine doctor, Dr Nathan Samras shows his frustration in combating the myriad symptoms and side effects that pop up while treating her HIV at the Georgetown University Hospital.

The role of non-verbal communication (NVC) is vital in the healthcare industry. Often, our facial expressions, gestures, eye contact, posture and tone of voice “speak” the loudest to the patient.

Kinesics is the study of human movement as culturally-patterned visual communication. The founder, anthropologist Ray Birdwhis-tell (1918-1994), coined the term from the Greek word kinesis (movement) as a positive alternative to “non-verbal communication”.