Addressing The Range of Patient Beliefs About COVID-19

by Lyle Fettig (@FettigLyle)I ’ve been thinking about my role as a physician in responding to skepticism about a range of COVID topics, especially as we approach the holidays and all the tension about difficult recommendations to forgo traditional Thanksgiving dinners. As I think about our current situation, I can’t help but recall an encounter I had with a patient many years ago.In winter 2008 after President Obama was first elected, I saw a woman in clinic who said she was disappointed by the election result. She cited a jaw dropping falsehood about what she thought his election would mean for healthcare, and especially healthcare for white people. I was frankly shocked when she mentioned falsehood, as I had not heard her specific concern in the runup to the election. She had no history of psychosis or delusional thinking. We spent a while talking about her concerns, and why her healthcare was secure.I remember thinking, " where did she get this from and how could she believe this? " The belief clearly had a racist element underpinning it. I felt powerless, as I couldn ’t fix this person’s belief. But through a mixture of trust built on our relationship and exploring her underlying concerns, I think she ultimately listened to my reassurance that she would not lose her Medicare. And regardless of what she believed, it ultimately didn’t matter. The truth was the truth. Her Medicare coverage wasn’t changing, and this truth would bear out for her regardless of her b...
Source: Pallimed: A Hospice and Palliative Medicine Blog - Category: Palliative Care Tags: communication covid fettig Source Type: blogs