RSS Feeds
“Tell Me about Yourself”: The Patient-Centered Interview
- Frederic W. Platt, MD;
- David L. Gaspar, MD;
- John L. Coulehan, MD, MPH;
- Lucy Fox, MD;
- Andrew J. Adler, MD;
- W. Wayne Weston, MD;
- Robert C. Smith, MD; and
- Moira Stewart, PhD
- University of Colorado; Denver, CO 80205 (Platt, Gaspar) State University of New York at Stony Brook; Stony Brook, NY 11794 (Coulehan) Renal Medical Associates Ltd.; Albuquerque, NM 97106 (Fox) Brooklyn Veterans Affairs Medical Center; Brooklyn, NY 11209 (Adler) University of Western Ontario; London, Ontario NGK 1C7, Canada (Weston) Michigan State University School of Medicine; East Lansing, MI 48824 (Smith) Centre for Studies in Family Medicine; London, Ontario N6G 4X8, Canada (Stewart)
- Interviews
- Physician-patient relations
- Patient satisfaction
- Patient compliance
- Physician practice patterns
WORDS THAT MAKE A DIFFERENCE
The following article initiates a series on “Words That Make a Difference.” Developed under the sponsorship of the American Academy on Physician and Patient, the series will focus on the language physicians use when they talk with patients. Although clinicians understand how important it is to communicate effectively with patients, they often have difficulty knowing exactly what the “best words” are for making the most of each patient interaction. Drawing on careful observation and research results, the authors of this series of articles have identified words and expressions that have proven particularly powerful as tools for understanding patients and helping them manage their illnesses effectively. We are interested in knowing what readers think of the series, and in learning about other uses of language that readers have found important and helpful.
The Editors
Patient: That specialist you sent me to is probably a pretty good doctor, but you can't talk to him.
Physician: What do you mean?
Patient: Well, he just didn't seem interested in what I had to tell him. He might know about kidneys but he didn't want to know what I was worried about.
This disgruntled patient is not the first to wish that his physician would focus more attention on his concerns, feelings, and ideas. Many patients complain similarly, identifying a critical weakness in the medical interview and subsequent treatment. Unfortunately, patients may feel this way even about physicians who are highly experienced and very skilled technically. Inattention to the person of the patient, to the patient's characteristics and concerns, leads to inadequate clinical data-gathering, nonadherence, and poor outcomes (1-14). Because each patient's experience of illness is unique, the best patient care includes attention to the patient's motivation, values, and desires; to her thoughts and feelings; and to the way …
