Transparency and clearing signaling to your patient about the process as well as the content of the interview allows your patient to understand where the interview is going and why

Sharing your thought process with your patient:

• Reduces unnecessary patient uncertainty regarding:
  • What to expect in the interview
  • The significance of a line of questioning
  • The role of a particular member of the healthcare team
  • Attitudes, intentions, or trustworthiness of the doctor

Share your thought process with your patient to encourage their involvement

• Encourages a collaborative understanding between you and your patient

 

 ‘What I’m thinking now is how to sort out whether this arm pain is coming from your shoulder or your neck’

Exercise: Sharing your thoughts allows your patient to follow your reasoning and understand why you are asking questions you are asking.

What might happen if you skip this step and move directly to closed ended questions?

30F presenting with intermittent abdominal pain.

Doctor: ‘Are you under any stress at the moment?’

Patient: how might this patient react? What might they be thinking?

 VS.

 Doctor: ‘Sometimes its difficult to work out whether abdominal pain is due to a physical illness or a manifestation of life stressors” – Facilitative probe

Patient: ‘Well I have been pretty stressed lately. I’m having a terrible time at work’

Silverman, J., Kurtz, S., & Draper, J. (2013). Skills for Communicating with Patients (Thrid Edit). London: Radcliffe Publishing.