Learning to communicate. The experience of an Italian emergency department

Abstract

Dear Editor, In his essay "Considerations on Tasso," published in 1793, Galileo Galilei described Tasso as a man poor in concepts and lacking in knowledge, who resorted to literary subterfuges and "abstruse" literary techniques, thereby emphasizing the significance and centrality of knowledge and comprehension as integral components of communication.1 Although Galileo Galilei made his comments 230 years ago, we can still learn from them as we consider the importance of communication and the challenges of developing a trustworthy doctor-patient relationship. [...]