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Prescribe peace of mind for your patients
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I recently saw my internist for a comprehensive physical (the first in 7 years, but that’s another story). My blood and urine work had been done earlier in the week. The nurse had just checked my weight, blood pressure and EKG. Now I was sitting there – wearing that lovely paper gown – and waiting for the doctor. In the general scheme of things, I’ve been feeling just fine. Nothing major, just a few minor issues to discuss with the doctor.
However, while I was waiting, a curious sort of thing occurred. My mind drifted a bit and I started to wonder — and worry. Suppose my assumption that all’s well wasn’t correct? What if my cholesterol, blood sugar, PSA or blood pressure was sky high? What if my EKG or urinalysis was abnormal? Suddenly, I wasn’t feeling so good – or confident about my health – at all.
Worrying about nothing
Fortunately, the remainder of my appointment went well. The doctor entered the exam room; we shook hands and exchanged pleasantries. As he conducted my exam we chatted about our families, our practices and managed care (the latter of which caused my blood pressure to spike.) Certainly, my internist was relaxed and didn’t seem alarmed.
In the end, all it really took was for my doctor – who has a great chair side demeanor — to say: “Mike, your numbers look great.” Whew. At the time my concerns and fears were genuine. In retrospect, I was worrying about nothing.
While my visit was really uneventful, it made me think. It made me think about what it’s like to be on the other side of an examination. What it’s like to be the patient. Indeed, we all breeze in and out of dozens of examination rooms daily. We’ve become very comfortable with our routines. We’ve become very familiar with the conditions we diagnose and treat. We understand conditions such as astigmatism, infiltrative keratitis, glaucoma and cataract. We know about their cause, clinical course, treatment and prognosis. We know that – for the most part – they’re manageable. And we know that these conditions do not necessarily result in blindness. But do our patients?
Turning the tables
It’s good for all of us to occasionally “have the tables turned” — to experience first hand the uncertainty, the fear and the vulnerability our patients feel. But, most importantly, it’s good for us to witness the calming effect of an authoritative and reassuring voice. Sometimes, I think we fail to recognize just how valuable patients consider our advice.
In fact, for many patients our explanation of the condition is as important as the intervention itself. And while a confident and relaxed approach is imperative for reassuring our patients, we must never trivialize their concerns. Because, in the final analysis, peace of mind is a pretty potent prescription.