Empathetic nods all 'round!

Apparently being able to communicate is a necessary skill, if you are to function as a successful doctor, and not be sued. Most lawsuits apparently pertain to certain aspects of treatment and potential outcomes not being communicated effectively. So there is an understandably strong focus in trying to get us to communicate well with patients from the beginning.

One technique is just to sit there quietly and not, allowing an awkward silence to build so that the patient is forced to tell you what's on their mind. If this doesn't work you are then allowed to ask them if they have something on their mind that might be concerning them. It actually works horribly well, as patients tend to keep giving you information if you don't cut them off, and everyone feels great.

So with the task of attentive listening at hand, I set off to perform a patient history in front of my tutorial group (eight people) and a tutor. Unfortunately, the patient who was randomly selected - which is a story in itself owing to some confusion regarding where certain wards end and others finish, was a rambler. He was great though, but he went in painstaking detail, even mentioning the weather, about the previous seven days where he had been in and out and then back in to hospital. Regrettably, my task of attentive listening, general politeness, as well as my lack of authority as a medical student, meant I was disarmed as I tried to direct the conversation back around to specific symptoms. On the upside, and before I even knew what was happening, he was proudly showing us his epic rash! It was hilarious, and the guy was pretty upbeat about it all, despite being painfully itchy.

A long time later I abandoned the CC method of history taking and then escaped, much to the relief of the tute group who had to stand quietly for what seemed like 20 minutes, without glancing at their watches. The history itself was quite interesting... I just hope there is a section in the future that will teach you how to make your patients concise yet human.

I think part of the problem was that he was telling me about the disease he was being treated for. But I, being only 4% of a doctor, had no idea what he was talking about, but then chose to nod so as not to interrupt the guys narrative. Oh well! Live and learn and blog!