Friday, January 15, 2016

How to Behave like a Good Doctor? (Part 1)

                     Anybody with a hard earned MD/DO or MBBS(MBChB/BM/MBBChir etc all fall here) can be a doctor. But not every doctor is a good doctor. Not every good doctor can present themselves well and behave as a doctor.
Hello awesomites, I’m Jay here, once again with some insights on How behave as a Doctor in a Clinical setting. Today we had a discussion in our Medical History Lecture about this, I’m basing the article on that. This part 1.
  1. Attitude
You should have a proper attitude as a doctor. In front of your patient, you should look confident. You should not be
nervous as it would make your patient nervous as well. Also, you should not be like “I-know-it-all!”. Be careful and be empathetic and attentive to your patient while you are taking the History. Make sure you include all the details, like Name, Age, Gender, and even the address. Knowing the address will give you additional chance on identifying region based illnesses. Also make sure you ask about the recent trips.
When you are about to break a bad news to them such as cancer, make sure if their other illnesses are taken care of, such as Cardiac diseases and High Blood Pressure in order to keep the patient safer. (Our professor even mentioned that if you are breaking the news to a relative, make sure you know the relative’s health condition too. Telling a Hypertensive mother about a young kid’s Terminal-cancer would risk the mother to have a stroke or other serious problem.)
When a terminal patient asks you “Am I going to die soon?”(yes, this question comes often!) never give them shorter periods of times in a cold manner. Always, give a warm answer or otherwise the patient may give up on their drugs and the dreadful event may come sooner than we expect.
Never be rude to a patient and always be respectable. When your patient says he missed his dose, don’t scold him. Just ask why he had to do it. Judging is not something that a doctor should do.
Always do your physical examinations carefully and respectably. If you are a male physician, always keep a female staff member (ex: a nurse) when you are examining a female patient. If your patient is a pediatric patient, then try to cheer them up and ask clear and short questions.  Be careful with your touches and palpations always.

  1. Dress
Dress smart. I myself personally hate to admit, because I am more like free to go wear person, But as a doctor you should wear properly not only to gain respect but also the trust of the patient. Wearing proper and still professional dress would give you confidence and the patient will open up more with trust leading the total healing procedure more successful. Different countries have different dress codes. Some wear scrubs with or without White coat, Dress shirt and pant/skirt with or without white coat, total business attire, or even the national costumes(Saree and other traditional wear in South Asia). Whatever it is, make sure your dress is neither too flashy nor too easy. Wear in a respectable level of professionalism.
  1. Posture
Posture makes all the difference. Stand straight when you stand and walk tall when you walk. Sit upright, and if you are taking a history of a patient, lean a bit forward keeping a safe distance. Leaning a bit forward to them will give them the assurance that you are listening to them. Never cross your hands in front of a patient when you are listening to them. It gives them the idea that you are already judging them and their opinion is blocked.
  1. Gestures
Eye contact! The most important thing!!! Even if you keep nodding but stays looking at the prescription pad or the earlier reports, the patient is not going to be convinced that you are being serious about them.
Give more open gestures like open hand movements. When you are telling them what to do, them never hide your hands from them. It’s a silent cue that you are telling them the truth and being serious. When you are giving instructions, be slow and tell in digestible portions of info. (Write the prescription in full forms. Do not write t.d.s , instead write 3 times daily. Giving instructions is not only the pharmacist’s job. It’s part of your job too.)
Know when to smile, and when not to smile. You shouldn’t smile when he is explaining you his pain. You should though smile, when you are starting the examination, and parting. Always give a positive nod and a smile when your session is over. If your patient smiles back, you can be mostly assured that he is quite satisfied with the session with you.
                                                                                                            ****
So, with that I end my Part 1 of this article. Till we meet again, adios! :)
With love,
Jay. :)

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