When the Patient is the Expert - Part II

Nobody knows more about a patient than that patient, right? Well, sometimes.

When a patient presents as a "textbook case" of something, doctors might make a big deal about it. Why? Because it doesn't often happen the way the textbooks decree.

Every patient is unique. Disease exhibits its own peculiarities in each patient. And each patient responds to treatment in unique ways.

When I was in practice, one of my primary goals when caring for patients with chronic diseases was to help them take ownership of their health as much as possible and reasonable. Nothing pleased me more than when a patient guided me to the best evaluation or treatment of a problem.

But there were always times when it was in the best interests of the patient for me to take over. Maybe the patient was incapacitated. Maybe current medical circumstances required an understanding (e.g., of physiology, pharmacology, anatomy, molecular biology) that was beyond anything they'd acquired over the years of living with their condition. Or maybe the patient couldn't manage the objectivity needed for wise decisions.

A healing clinician-patient bond depends on mutual respect and agreement as to who is in control of what. This delicate and dynamic balance requires good communication and a commitment to always work as a team to a common end: the well-being of the patient.

In my next post, I'll share a patient's dilemma when she wanted a different cancer treatment than the one recommended by her longtime oncologist. 

Comments

[Jan Hasak]

The mutual respect aspect of the doctor-patient relationship is essential. I've had to switch doctors when I didn't want to hurt the doctor's feelings, but felt strongly about how I wanted to be treated, after doing extensive research. I hate confrontation, so I simply switched quietly.

Thanks for this insightful post.
Jan

[Mary Cancer]

When I was sick, I always like to find some medicine to take, rather than see a doctor, I know this is very wrong, but I still can not change this habit.