Kalymnos has paid a special tribute to Danish professor of general practice Jan-Helge Larsen, whose work linked the island’s name with an innovative approach to doctor-patient communication known internationally as the “Kalymnos Method.”
At 8:00 p.m. on Monday, 14 September 2026, Professor Larsen was formally presented with the decision of the Kalymnos Municipal Council declaring him an Honorary Citizen of the island.
The ceremony was attended by Municipal Council President Dimitris Marangos, Deputy Mayor for Public Relations K. Koutouzi and Deputy Mayor for Health G. Choullis, who had initiated the proposal to honour the Danish professor.
The modest ceremony was held at the KALYDNA Hotel in Kantouni, owned by brothers and fellow physicians Giorgos and Nikos Kountouris. The venue carried particular significance, as it was there that Professor Larsen had organised training seminars for Scandinavian doctors over several decades.
It was also at this location that his idea for a new approach to medical history-taking and the training of primary care physicians began to take shape. The approach was subsequently named after the island where it was developed: the “Kalymnos Method.”
What is the Kalymnos Method?
The Kalymnos Method, also referred to as the Kalymnos Model, is a medical communication framework that places particular emphasis on meaningful contact, active listening and the development of trust between doctor and patient.
It was developed in the spring of 1992 by Jan-Helge Larsen, a former associate professor at the University of Copenhagen. According to the available information, more than 5,000 Scandinavian doctors have attended the training programmes held on Kalymnos. Related scientific reference
The method aims to make the best possible use of the limited time available during a primary care appointment by dividing the consultation into three clear and consecutive stages:
- The patient’s part: The doctor allows the patient to speak freely, seeking to understand the patient’s ideas about the problem, concerns or fears, and expectations of the consultation.
- The doctor’s part: The physician then proceeds with focused questions, gathers the necessary clinical information and carries out the medical examination.
- The shared part: Doctor and patient make decisions together and agree on a treatment plan acceptable to both sides.
The method also employs active-listening and summarising techniques, helping ensure that the patient feels the doctor has understood both the symptoms and the concerns surrounding them.
A distinctive feature of the Kalymnos courses was the so-called “Window Supervision Method.” Working in small groups, participants reviewed video-recorded role-play consultations or real clinical encounters. By examining short segments of dialogue in detail, doctors learned to recognise moments when they might have interrupted a patient too early or overlooked an important emotional cue.
Naming Jan-Helge Larsen an Honorary Citizen acknowledges his decades-long relationship with Kalymnos and the important scientific and educational legacy that bears the island’s name.
A method born in Kantouni travelled across Scandinavia, placing Kalymnos on the international map of medical education and patient-centred care.
