Laughter is not always the best medicine. Sometimes we use a smile or a laugh to create a bit of a rapport with the patients and prove that we’re not just robots trained to poorly recite the Oxford handbooks. Sometimes it’s nice to get a patient to smile after a tense or teary consultation. Sometimes a patient will tell a joke of their own accord, and it’s only polite to laugh then.
But sometimes, it’s just not appropriate. When a patient is expressing their distrust of the medical profession and says something like, “the doctor ignored my shoulder pain and it turns out I was having a heart attack” ... well, then it’s probably time to put on your empathy face.
Turns out, there are people out there who don’t realise this.
But sometimes, it’s just not appropriate. When a patient is expressing their distrust of the medical profession and says something like, “the doctor ignored my shoulder pain and it turns out I was having a heart attack” ... well, then it’s probably time to put on your empathy face.
Turns out, there are people out there who don’t realise this.
No comments:
Post a Comment