Learning Patient Care

Last Thursday, my Foundations of Patient Care group went to interview an inpatient at the hospital here. We had barely said, "We are first year medical students here to talk to you about your health," when he immediately replied, "Oh, the patient doctor relationship class!" He had a big smile on his face and was really welcoming in helping our education. It turns out his wife is a nurse, and he believes doctors need to learn to interact with their patients.

At preceptorship the other day, I asked an elderly lady whether it was okay for me to take her blood pressure and listen to her lung fields. She replied, "Whatever you say, you're the doctor." I quickly explained that I was hardly a doctor, but the message was clear. By virtue of wearing a stethoscope around my neck, I had privileged access to whatever I needed in order to understand her health and illness.

On the other hand, my FPC group went to interview an in-patient once, but we were late. The patient berated us for being tardy, rightfully saying that her time was equally important as our time. She then told us she didn't want us to interview her. It was a lesson learned for all of us. We owe patients the respect that we would give our grandparents and grandchildren.

This last Friday, we had a standardized patient presenting with a cardiac illness. With a partner, I took a history, trying to catch all the possible related factors: presentation of the pain, past medical issues, behavior, family history. We then did a focused physical exam on him, listening to his heart sounds and looking at his jugular venous pressure. It was a great learning experience in how to approach a real case as well as how to talk to a patient worried about his health.