I recently overheard a discussion between a surgeon and a younger patient who was due to have a procedure done. The patient was nervous, and hadn’t had many surgeries before. Thankfully it wasn’t major surgery, but enough to make him nervous. No offense, but everyone in the world of medicine knows that surgeons are not known for being the doctors with the best communication skills! Nevertheless, this surgeon was excellent. At the end of the discussion, he said something that I’ve never heard before: “Remember, you are the King today, and we are all here for you and want you to be comfortable”.

After he said that, I saw the young man’s disposition changed to a much more relaxed one, and he even managed a smile.

As someone with an interest in improving healthcare communication skills, I thought what that surgeon said was marvelous. Blood marvelous, we may say in the United Kingdom. Well done to him, and what a great thing to say to an anxious patient, to reassure them that their medical team will place them at the center of their care.

We so often underestimate in healthcare, the power of our utterances to help bring comfort and optimism to our patients (and their families). Every medical profession should always remember this. When you are on the phone with a family member: “We’ll take good care of mom”. If you are with a patient who is recovering and heading in the right direction: “It’s going to be okay”. Before you leave a scared patient’s room: “You let us know anything you need, we’re right here”. These are very short, simple statements to show that we care—and will mean a lot to the person receiving them. Yet they are too infrequently spoken in the busy, busy world of medicine. It’s easy to get into a pattern of coming into work every day and going through the motions (we are all human after all). But healthcare is a special arena that requires special reflection and attention. We see people at a uniquely low point in their lives. And as well as treating them medically, it’s also our job to help lift them up emotionally with our words.

Suneel Dhand is a physician, writer, and YouTuber. He is Founder at MedStoic Lifestyle Medicine and DocsDox . Follow him on YouTube and Facebook.