Making the Invisible Visible: A Communications Approach to Patients Suffering from Invisible Illness

The purpose of this content is to enhance communication skills for individuals with invisible illnesses. Patients with invisible illnesses (e.g., fibromyalgia, IBS) are frequently marginalized and dismissed due to the lack of physical and/or objective findings. There are two main goals with this content: The faculty aims to improve the patient experience and outcomes for patients suffering from invisible illnesses by educating primary care providers in essential communication skills. The ultimate aim is to end the culture of medical gaslighting and stigmatization surrounding invisible illness. The faculty aims to empower physicians to offer patient-centered, empathic care to patients with invisible illnesses in the primary care setting. By providing physicians with the necessary communication skills to adequately care for patients with invisible illness, we also hope physicians will discover professional satisfaction and joy in this work. Join us for recorded didactics, an engaging patient case, and the 5Es framework for improving communication with patients with invisible illness.