A Doctor's First Words to a Patient

“Interesting belt — where did you get that?”“I see you are from Youngstown. The key question is, are you a Steelers fan or a Browns fan?”Daniel R. Wolpaw, M.D., and Dan Shapiro, Ph.D. writing a Perspective article titled "The Virtues of Irrelevance" in the April 3 2014 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine present these as examples of possible opening remarks by a physician to a patient who appears with a medical problem.  The authors suggest that remarks such as these serve 4 "key purposes"  from the physician's point of view which, in establishing the doctor-patient relationship provide "ways to establish the connections that allow us to actually care for the person in front of us."  They explain: "First, they convey that we see the patient as a unique individual. Given the speed of medical practice, it is not surprising that patients worry that their individual concerns will not be heard. Second, these questions reveal that we have had shared experiences, that despite our training and attire we are not so different from the patient. Third, they communicate that we are observant and attending to details, which patients find comforting. And finally, they indicate that we are open to a conversation with the patient."I am not going to start out with a detailed discussion on my part regarding the pros and cons of a physician beginning the doctor-patient relationship with what might seem as irrelevant communication. What I want to read is what my ...
Source: Bioethics Discussion Blog - Category: Medical Ethics Source Type: blogs