“ S/he ’ s just not taking the message on board ” – A word to clinicians

I’ve heard it many times, probably said it myself some years back. You’ve presented an idea to the person, but they just don’t seem to be ‘getting it.’ What to do, what to do? The context of this kind of problem is often when someone’s pain isn’t settling down, or when some kind of self-management strategy is being recommended. To the clinician, the message is probably quite logical: “Here’s some information about pain that I am telling you about” and the unspoken assumption is that the person ought to listen carefully, maybe ask some questions, but essentially accept what’s on offer. If it’s not information, it could be a strategy like using exercise or pacing or mindfulness or compassion… It’s The Solution to A Problem that the person has. Now why would someone not accept what they’re told? After all, the health professional is the one with all the knowledge and the person asked for help, didn’t they? Or not. Let’s take a moment to step back and think about clinical interactions. We know that two people in the interaction have agendas: the person comes with an idea of what they’re wanting, while the clinician is usually expert in certain areas they commonly work in. Both parties assume they know what the ‘transaction’ will look like, and the session may even follow the assumed transactional path. The problem is that the person may not get w...
Source: HealthSkills Weblog - Category: Anesthesiology Authors: Tags: Back pain Chronic pain Clinical reasoning Coping Skills healthcare Occupational therapy pain management Therapeutic approaches Source Type: blogs