RHETORIC AND CLINICAL COMMUNICATION: AN INTRODUCTORY EXAMINATION OF LANGUAGE AS AN ETHICAL PRAXIS OF HEALTH CARE

Abstract

This article analyzes clinical communication through the lens of rhetoric, viewing language not as a mere code or representation but as action and interaction that generates effects on the interlocutor. It critiques the linear model (sender→receiver) and foregrounds the dialogical, situated nature of clinical encounters, where ethos, pathos, and logos guide strategies for therapeutic adherence, expectation management, and trust-building. Classical rhetoric (invention, arrangement, style, delivery) provides argumentative techniques — including topics — suitable for sensitive contexts. In dialogue with Clinical Bioethics, communication is linked to autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice, with breaking bad news framed as an ethical and relational challenge: the SPIKES protocol is revisited to integrate active listening, emotion handling, and shared planning. The paper addresses barriers such as technical jargon and linguistic prejudice, which may alienate patients and undermine care. It advocates incorporating clinical communication as a core competency in health curricula to foster humanized, symmetrical, and culturally responsive practices in which patients become co-authors of care. The conclusion argues that joining rhetoric and bioethics enables ethically oriented persuasion that upholds dignity, sustains hope, and supports decision-making amid uncertainty.