Capsule Minds: Want to Connect With Your Patients? Ask Them This
Author, physician communication consultant, and internist Dr. Suneel Dhand on the simple question that can deepen your doctor-patient relationship.
As physicians, we’re used to asking our patients lots and lots of questions; it’s our job to elicit information, listen, and then come up with a management plan. There’s a standard script every doctor goes through, based on the science of medicine, and we usually have this memorized to a tee. And that’s all very well and good.
However, there’s one great question that we doctors utilize to a lesser degree than almost any other. And that’s a simple: “What are your goals?” This can come in a variety of different ways, such as, “What are you hoping for?” or “Where do you see yourself in one month?” It can be used at different points, depending on the circumstances — at the beginning of a discussion, before tests are ordered, or (where I use it the most) right upon discharge.
Asking this question has a number of positive effects:
1. It elicits extremely useful information. On a rudimentary level, it’s obviously a clear way to get important information for anyone involved in your patient’s care. Does your patient expect to be pain-free in one week and back at work, for example? Do they have to be up on their feet for their daughter’s wedding next month? By knowing what their expectation level is, you can better help temper it, reinforce it, or even make it optimistic!
2. It shows you care. It immediately shows that you are not just a “point-of-contact” person, but that you have enough genuine interest to probe deeper and foster empathy and compassion, the core of a better clinical interaction. Even in a social situation, people who are asked a question like this respond positively by virtue of the fact that it’s nice to articulate something that is important to them. And few things are more important than health.
3. It gives the patient something to think about. It helps your patient uncover what they have to look forward to. Even if they struggle with this answer (rare), they will have something to ponder. The thought of being well enough to do something enjoyable like attend a Yankees game (personal bias; sorry to anyone who is reading this not in New York) can motivate the patient immensely.
Time is a precious commodity in health care. It’s not something that doctors has in abundance, or can afford to spend on random conversations (even if they really want to). But while the above question may only take two or three minutes, it can have an immense effect, especially during a first-time encounter. And as with anything to do with communication, this does not mean asking a question in a robotic way. It has to come with the right level of emotional intelligence and sincerity.
This kind of question is just one example of a small step that a physician (or any healthcare professional) can take to improve their everyday communication skills. There are dozens of more techniques like this that can help. Collectively, all of these little things can help maintain the human side of the fast-eroding doctor-patient interaction. Indeed, they not only help make patients happier and more likely to have a better outcome, but also make the work of a doctor a lot happier too.
Suneel Dhand is an internal medicine physician, author, and co-founder of DocsDox. He teaches communications skills in his keynotes and seminars, and blogs at his self-titled site, Suneel Dhand.
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