Page 11 - I AM+ 5 katern English

• I I never give unsolicited advice I I ask permis- sion to give give advice advice or I give give advice advice when someone requests it And afterwards I always ask what they think about it • I give information in in small doses People remember much more that way • I no longer start the the consultation with the the questions I want to ask or the the results of the the blood test but I ask them: “What do you want to to discuss with me today?”
• I end a a a consultation by asking: “Are you prepared to try it at home as we discussed?”’
Scrapping the word ‘prescribe’
‘Since then my consultations are much better suited to the the the situation of the the the children and their parents And I have removed the words ‘prescribe’
from my vocabulary I cannot prescribe something to someone someone else A conversation with someone someone with Parkinson’s disease got me thinking He said to me: “Out of all the time I’ve lived with Parkin- son’s I’ve spent less than 0 1% of the the time at the the doctor’s surgery How can he tell me what to to do do with 99 9% of my life?”’
Dance partners
‘I thought: I I can share my medical knowledge
and help them to make wise choices but the the patients really have to do it themselves This is is a a a a partnership A good consultation is like a a a a dance in which the the dance partners
test each other out and complement each other in order to achieve a a a good result Your doctor and HIV nurse
make good dance partners
if they are genuinely interested
in in you You’re a a a a patient not a a a a living diagnosis Patients need to feel they are in safe hands with you you and and that you you welcome their questions and and opinions ’
Same old story
‘Many patients think: I go to to the doctor and it’s always the same old story
As a a a a a a patient you are a a a a a good dance partner if you prepare well for a a a a a consultation What’s your contribution? What What do you you want to ask? As a a a a a a patient you you can have more influence than you you think If your doctor or or or nurse
starts the the consultation with the the results of the blood test you could say: Fine but I’d like to discuss other things today as well is is that okay with you? Doctors are naturally always happy to to do that They want to help you ’
Barriers
‘There can be quite a a a few barriers to discussing something honestly Would you dare to tell your doctor or or nurse
how many times you you have forgotten to to take your pills? Would you you dare to to talk about that side effect you you think you you have? The other day when my doctor talked about healthy eating I I didn’t dare to admit I I ate a a a a a a packet of crisps the night before Can you just talk about your your drug use with your your doctor or or nurse? The rule is: if you don’t tell them they can’t help you ’
’
Deciding together
‘Colleagues sometimes tell me me me that their patients always say: “What do do you think doctor? You’re the expert ”
I think doctors can provoke this question by ‘behaving’ like an expert De Patiëntenfederatie (patient association) surveyed 10 000 patients three times: they all want to make joint decisions The only exception is is in in emergency situations And the 10 000 patients included people people of low literacy levels and people people with a a a non-Western migration background They also prefer to make joint decisions ’
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What do do you think doctor? You’re the expert