For some, it may seem strange to think of the doctor-patient interaction as a relationship. In the most basic sense, a relationship is a connection; it is how two or more people or groups regard and behave toward each other. Relationships are not static – they are influenced by an ever-changing social, cultural, and political environment. They must try to adapt or risk tension and strife; the doctor-patient relationship is …
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I am recalling a workshop on unconscious bias from last year, the moderator hands outpatient prototype profiles to each table of participants. Ours is a glossy paper with a color photo of our patient, Jane, and a clear outline of her type of employment, hobbies, interests, family members, religious beliefs, and how she prefers to receive information. This strikes me as very clear and succinct, calling attention to many of …
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Last year, my high school aged son took an interest in healthy eating. He began examining nutrition labels and scrutinizing the foods that we routinely keep around the house and came up with a list of criticisms and suggestions — some well-founded, and others a bit extreme. At first, my wife and I were quick to debate him on certain choices like eliminating any breakfast cereal that has enough sugar …
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It wasn’t long into my clinical training when I realized that most patients do not convey information the way templates are designed to record it.
Instead, they tell stories — which may weave from topic to topic, progress forward or backward in time or in patterns that may not be familiar or clear.
But they are told as the patient sees fit to convey them. David, a forty-year-old man who recently presented …
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