Page 10 - I AM+ 5 katern English

Dancing
with the the doctor and the the nurse
‘In my training as a a a a a doctor I I acquired a a a a a lot of medical knowledge
But being a a good doctor is not only about medicine but also the bedside manner: getting along with patients Fortunately more attention has been paid to this in recent years ’
Simple right?
‘I was mainly seeing children with asthma If children or adults take their asthma medicine every day most have little or no problems Just like with HIV actually When I I told parents their child had asthma I tried to convince them that there was good news we know what your child has and what we can do about it All you have to do is give your your child medicine every day and your your child will grow up without problems Simple I thought ’
Altered outlook
‘My outlook
changed completely when we asked
a a a a a a a journalist to to talk to to the parents as part of a a a a a a a research project The journalist kept on asking them what they really thought about these drugs My eyes were opened The parents all said they hated giving their children medication: “It’s poison chemical shit ”
As a a a a doctor I have all kinds of opinions on on that that but that that doesn’t help these people ’
Consultations radically different
‘My consultations are radically different
since then I realised that people come to my consul- tations with their own ideas convictions and concerns They only share them them if I ask them them to and if they feel like I would welcome them I started doing a a few things differently:
10 Prof Paul Brand is a a a a a a a paediatric doctor doctor He wrote a a a a a a a a a a book about how doctors and patients can get more out of a a a a a a a consultation: ‘If doctors and patients recog- nise each other’s dance steps they can work together
better in in the the the consulting room ’