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Core course for every profession

Effective Communication with Patients and Families

Clear, Respectful and Safe Communication That Prevents Complaints

  • 2 CPD hoursEstimated learning time
  • 15-question assessmentPass mark 80%
  • Online, self-pacedStart any time
  • CertificateFor your CPD records

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About this course

Patients rarely complain because a practitioner lacked knowledge. They complain because they felt rushed, unheard, confused or spoken down to, or because their family raised a concern that nobody acted on. In 2024/25, patients, families and members of the public made almost three-quarters of all notifications to Ahpra, and communication sits behind a large share of them. The good news is that communication is a set of skills, and skills can be learned.

This course turns the communication duties in your National Board's code, the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights and the NSQHS Standards into practical techniques you can use tomorrow. You will learn how to open a consultation so the real concern surfaces, explain in plain language, check understanding with teach-back, adapt to health literacy, and give safety-netting advice patients actually remember.

You will also work through the situations practitioners find hardest: interpreted consultations, patients with disability or cognitive impairment, worried families and substitute decision-makers, sharing bad news, saying no to requests, de-escalating anger, and writing notes and letters that patients may read. Australian case illustrations and ready-to-use phrases make every skill concrete.

Written and reviewed by

Written by

Dr Hannah Whitmore PhD, MSc, RN

Nursing Education & Professional Practice

Reviewed by (legal reviewer)

Professor James Ellington LLB, LLM, PhD

Healthcare Law, Ethics & Professional Regulation

Reviewed by (editorial team)

Editorial Team Member

Healthcare ethics, professional conduct, patient safety and evidence-based education.

Last reviewed

Our authors and reviewers check course content for accuracy and currency. Completing a course does not guarantee any particular outcome with Ahpra, a National Board, a tribunal or an employer.

Who this course is for

  • Doctors, nurses and midwives in hospitals, general practice and community settings
  • Pharmacists counselling patients and managing difficult requests
  • Dental practitioners, physiotherapists, podiatrists, occupational therapists and other allied health practitioners
  • Psychologists, paramedics and other practitioners who work closely with families and carers
  • Practitioners who have received feedback or complaints about their communication
  • Clinical supervisors who want a structured framework to teach communication skills
  • Any registered practitioner wanting to reduce the risk of complaints

What you’ll learn

  • Run clearer consultations

    Surface the full agenda, explain in plain language, check understanding with teach-back and give safety-netting advice that patients remember.

  • Communicate across difference

    Use qualified interpreters, make reasonable adjustments for disability and sensory loss, and communicate appropriately with children, older people and people from diverse cultures.

  • Partner with families

    Involve families and substitute decision-makers with the patient's consent, act on concerns about deterioration and run structured family meetings.

  • Handle hard conversations

    Share bad news using SPIKES, decline inappropriate requests, de-escalate anger and respond early when patients are dissatisfied.

Learning objectives

  • Describe the communication expectations in National Board codes, the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights and the NSQHS Standards.
  • Open consultations effectively and listen actively to surface the patient's full agenda.
  • Explain information in plain language and check understanding using teach-back.
  • Work effectively with interpreters and make reasonable adjustments for disability and sensory loss.
  • Involve families, carers and substitute decision-makers appropriately, and respond to concerns about deterioration.
  • Use structured approaches to share bad news, decline requests and de-escalate anger.
  • Write clear, respectful notes, letters and messages, and respond early to dissatisfaction.
  • Plan ongoing development of your own communication skills.

Scenarios covered

Practice situations you reason through, step by step, in the course.

  • Vague safety-netting before a heart attack

    A patient with exertional chest pain is told 'it's probably nothing'. You rewrite the conversation with clear, specific safety-netting and teach-back.

  • A grandson offers to interpret

    A Mandarin-speaking patient needs to understand surgical risks. You arrange a qualified interpreter, use TIS National and run an interpreted consultation well.

  • A support worker answers every question

    An occupational therapist redirects communication to a client with intellectual disability and uses visual supports to hear his own preferences.

  • A daughter says 'Dad's not himself'

    Normal observations, but a worried family. You treat the concern as clinical information and use family escalation processes such as Ryan's Rule.

  • A request for an early benzodiazepine supply

    A pharmacist declines respectfully, explains why, offers to contact the prescriber and documents the conversation.

  • Notes the patient reads

    A judgemental physiotherapy note leads to a complaint. You learn to write factual, respectful records patients can read.

Course contents

6 sections, 23 lessons, then the final assessment.

  1. Section 1: Why Communication Is a Safety and Professional Issue3 lessons
    • 1.1 Communication as a Professional Duty
    • 1.2 How Communication Failures Cause Harm
    • 1.3 Partnership and Shared Decision-Making
  2. Section 2: Core Consultation Skills4 lessons
    • 2.1 Opening Well and Listening
    • 2.2 Explaining Clearly and Checking Understanding
    • 2.3 Health Literacy and Written Information
    • 2.4 Empathy and Non-Verbal Communication
  3. Section 3: Communicating Across Difference4 lessons
    • 3.1 Working with Interpreters
    • 3.2 Disability, Cognitive Impairment and Sensory Loss
    • 3.3 Children, Young People and Older People
    • 3.4 Culture, Identity and Respect
  4. Section 4: Communicating with Families, Carers and Decision-Makers4 lessons
    • 4.1 Involving Families and Carers
    • 4.2 Substitute Decision-Makers and Advance Care Planning
    • 4.3 When Families Are Worried About Deterioration
    • 4.4 Running a Family Meeting
  5. Section 5: Difficult Conversations4 lessons
    • 5.1 Sharing Bad News
    • 5.2 Uncertainty, Expectations and Saying No
    • 5.3 Responding to Anger and Aggression
    • 5.4 Ending a Professional Relationship
  6. Section 6: Communication Beyond the Consultation4 lessons
    • 6.1 Phone, Video and Messages
    • 6.2 Letters, Records and Results
    • 6.3 Responding Early to Dissatisfaction
    • 6.4 Developing Your Communication Practice
  7. Final assessment and written reflection15 questions

Assessment and certificate

  1. Work through the course

    Study each section at your own pace, including the case illustrations and apply-it questions.

  2. Pass the assessment

    15 scenario-based questions. You need 12 correct (80%) to pass.

  3. Write your reflection

    A short written reflection on how the learning applies to your own practice.

  4. Download your certificate

    Shows your name, the course, the date and 2 CPD hours. Anyone can check it on our verification page.

What you keep for your CPD records

  • A certificate of completion recording approximately 2 hours of learning, to support your CPD plan
  • A written reflective account on a difficult conversation, a patient group and a communication goal for your CPD plan
  • A quick-reference table of phrases for opening, teach-back, safety-netting, empathy, bad news, declining and de-escalation
  • An interpreter checklist you can keep at your workstation

How certificates and CPD records workVerify a certificate

Primary sources

The course is built on these official documents. Check them for the current version.

Questions about this course

Does Ahpra accredit or approve this course?

No. This is an independent educational course. It is not accredited, not approved and not endorsed by Ahpra, any National Board or any professional body. Under the CPD registration standards you choose the activities that suit your learning needs, so record the time you actually spend and decide whether the course fits your CPD plan.

What does the code of conduct say about communication?

All National Board codes expect practitioners to listen to patients and respect their views, give information in a way they can understand, confirm understanding, use qualified interpreters where needed and communicate respectfully with families and carers. The wording differs between the shared Code, Good medical practice and the NMBA codes, but the expectations are consistent.

Can a family member interpret for my patient?

Family members, friends and especially children should not interpret clinical consultations except in an emergency until a qualified interpreter is available. Use TIS National on 131 450 or your service's interpreter unit. Eligible private practitioners, pharmacies and allied health professionals can use the Free Interpreting Service.

What is teach-back and how long does it take?

Teach-back means asking the patient to explain in their own words what they have understood, so you can check your explanation was clear. It usually takes less than a minute, and it is one of the most effective ways to prevent medication errors and misunderstandings.

How do I share information with a patient's family without breaching privacy?

Ask the patient early who they want involved and what can be shared, and record their answer. You can always listen to and record information from family and carers. Where a patient lacks capacity, communicate with their substitute decision-maker under the law of your state or territory.

What should I do when a family member says the patient is getting worse?

Treat the concern as clinical information: assess the patient, document the concern and your response, and escalate if there is doubt. Know your service's family escalation process, such as Ryan's Rule in Queensland or REACH in New South Wales, and tell families how to use it.

Will this course help me reduce complaints?

Communication is one of the most common themes in complaints, so better communication skills can reduce your risk. The course covers recognising and responding to early signs of dissatisfaction. A separate course looks at practice-wide habits that keep complaints and notifications rare.

Can this course meet a Board condition about communication?

The course cannot satisfy a Board condition, undertaking or other mandatory requirement on its own. If you have a condition that requires education, confirm with Ahpra or your Board, and your lawyer or MDO, whether this course is acceptable before you enrol.

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