Books: The Art of General Practice: Soft Skills to Survive and Thrive

This little book is well written and has a pleasant, informal style. It is, unashamedly, the thoughts of a GP looking back on a lifetime of general practice. The first part of the book covers what he calls the soft skills, but what could be called the social skills required to make the consultation work most successfully. There were certainly some suggestions here that I could learn from, such as writing a bereavement letter, but this section might be ideal for a trainer with a trainee facing clinical skills assessment.

Although the author Dr Bartlett was, I suspect, born with excellent social skills, some are less blessed in this regard, or may come from a different culture. For such doctors, this part of the book, with the help of their trainer, may unlock the capacity to have a fruitful consultation and, also important, pass the CSA. As the medical defence societies themselves point out, social skills provide the best protection against litigation and patient complaints. On reading this first section one begins to feel that one is meeting a warm and human doctor.

The second part of the book tries to encourage and enable the career GP to look after themselves. Again, well written, it is full of useful advice. He rightly points to a loss of curiosity and interest in medicine as a warning sign of burnout, and one that should be acted upon. The book ends with a list of useful books to be lent — to the right patient — or to be read by the GP for insight into the new techniques of CBT or mindfulness.

To sum up, a short book from which every GP might learn something.

• © British Journal of General Practice 2019