When I first qualified as a #GP
An elderly man came to see me
He mentioned a symptom & we addressed it
He then sat there for a few seconds
His records showed he came the same time every yr
With a simple symptom
“What’s really bothering you?” I asked
“Your eyes seem sad”
1
An elderly man came to see me
He mentioned a symptom & we addressed it
He then sat there for a few seconds
His records showed he came the same time every yr
With a simple symptom
“What’s really bothering you?” I asked
“Your eyes seem sad”
1
He told me that every year he came to the drs
He would mention a made up symptom to see if they would listen or take him seriously
If he didn’t think they did, he left
It was the anniversary of his son’s death & he never knew what else to do
2
He would mention a made up symptom to see if they would listen or take him seriously
If he didn’t think they did, he left
It was the anniversary of his son’s death & he never knew what else to do
2
We sat there & talked about his son
Sometimes sitting in silence
He had a broken heart that couldn’t be fixed, he said
I nodded & listened -
I often think about that day
Talking about heartache & pain is a big deal - patients might want to “test us” before they trust us
3
Sometimes sitting in silence
He had a broken heart that couldn’t be fixed, he said
I nodded & listened -
I often think about that day
Talking about heartache & pain is a big deal - patients might want to “test us” before they trust us
3
But it’s always made me think
No matter how busy the day is: take a few minutes to really listen
If a patient comes with something that seems medically trivial: take a few minutes to really listen
Give them time
There may be something else they need to share
#GP
4/4
No matter how busy the day is: take a few minutes to really listen
If a patient comes with something that seems medically trivial: take a few minutes to really listen
Give them time
There may be something else they need to share
#GP
4/4
As ever, details have been anonymised, changed & disguised to avoid identification, without taking away from the essence of the story
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