1 Theories of health communication and theories of society, 1
2 The language of evidence: communicating about evidence in health care, 20
3 Communicating effectively: what works for whom? 43
4 The narrative of illness, 63
5 The consultation: towards a 'molecular sociology' of the health care encounter, 81
6 Teaching communication traditionally: chalk, talk and role plays, 102
7 New approaches to the teaching of communication: data-driven learning and experiental education, 123
8 Communicating carefully: communicating about sensitive matters, 143
9 Health education and communication: changing, informing, compliance and concordance, 161
10 Blip culture: the power of brief communication, 181
11 Conclusion, 198