Patient-Centred Interviewing Part II: Finding Common Ground.

DEVELOPING AN EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT PLAN REQUIRES PHYSICIANS AND PATIENTS TO REACH AGREEMENT IN THREE KEY AREAS: the nature of the problems, the goals and priorities of treatment, and the roles of the doctor and patient. Often doctors and patients have widely divergent views in each of these areas. The process of finding a satisfactory resolution is not so much one of bargaining or negotiating but rather of moving towards a meeting of minds or finding common ground. This framework reminds physicians to incorporate patients' ideas, feelings, and expectations into treatment planning.