This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Communication leads to good care
|
|
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, a physician and creator of the famed sleuth Sherlock Holmes, is often recognized for his quote, “You see, but you do not observe.” As health care providers, it is a quote with which we can all identify.
Caring for patients is anything but an exact science and, occasionally, all of us are puzzled by a complex patient. In short, we see, but we fail to observe. While humbling, these patients often prove invaluable in making us – all of us – better clinicians.
This was best illustrated by a patient I recently saw. A long established patient, this college athlete came in with a 1-month history of “pink eye.” A compliant contact lens wearer, he had the presence of mind to discontinue lens wear and, when symptoms persisted, seek professional assistance.
The college infirmary prescribed antibiotic eye drops that provided limited relief, at which time his primary care physician suggested he see us. While the ocular examination revealed a nonspecific low-grade conjunctivitis, the history was quite compelling.
The student had recently seen a urologist and was prescribed an antibiotic for a presumed prostatitis, as well as a rheumatologist for chronic lower back and joint pain. While no one had put all of the pieces of the puzzle together, the triad of symptoms was, in my estimation, more than mere coincidence and highly suggestive of Reiter’s syndrome. Occasionally we do see and observe.
Lesson of communication
For all of us, the lesson learned from this particular case is not one of diagnosis, but rather one of communication. As we would hope, this patient benefited from a team of highly qualified specialists – each working diligently in his or her area of expertise. Unfortunately, as happens from time to time, he suffered from a lack of communication among providers.
For me, this experience underscores the critical role we can play in our patients’ overall care. At worst, we are complacent, simply seeing, but not observing. At best, we actively participate and communicate. It all seems so simple, yet it can be so easily overlooked.
Communication essential to care
In this issue of Primary Care Optometry News, we feature an article on interprofessional communications (“Best communication method is concise reports”). While our expert contributors vary in their preferred method of communicating, they universally agree that communication is essential to quality care.
So whether we’re comanaging a cataract patient or sending an annual diabetic report to an endocrinologist, concise and efficient communication is imperative. After all, doing so increases the likelihood that all of us will not merely see, but will observe as well.