Question

An 87 year- old man has arrived for his annual check up. As you conduct the patient interview , he begins telling you stories about his late wife and his four grandchilden. each quesion you ask elicits another story. Describe the techniques you employ for guiding the interview and to gently help the patient to focus and stay on track.

Answer 1

The patient is really old and tend to explain something which is not related to the question asked is a quiet common scenario in healthcare assessment. A patient centered assessment would be better choice in such case. The importance of patient–physician relationships and strong communication skills as a foundation for quality medical care is clear. Ultimately, improving patient–physician communication requires time – time to listen to patients in the office or at the bedside, time to teach and train professionals at all levels in the basics of patient-centered, empathetic communication skills, and time to study the impact of improved communication of quality improvement