How to Talk to Patients
The Annals of Internal Medicine used to give advice to doctors about improving our communication with patients so they would understand their diseases and take their medicine. That’s no longer enough. Now, The Annals is telling us to conduct seminars on peripherally related scientific topics. According to the article, Strategies for Clinical Discussions About Climate Change:
Physicians can build into clinical discussions brief educational messages relevant to the patient’s medical needs. Such messaging can be as simple as, “Climate change is causing allergy season to start earlier and making plants produce more pollen. This may explain why your allergies are acting up now.”
“You mentioned that your breathing gets worse on hot days. We know the climate is warming, and this makes it hard for some to breathe. Would it be all right if we discussed this, and I shared some information that I think you might find helpful? I am always here if you want to learn more about how climate can harm health.”
Thanks for the script, but seriously– who talks like that? And what do patients think? They just want the wheezing to go away. If they are interested in root causes, there’s always google.
Besides, I’m not a climatologist, I’m a medical doctor. It takes a lot of time just to keep up with all the new inhalers available for COPD. I just don’t have the time to critically evaluate the literature on global warming. On the other hand, I have thoroughly reviewed the literature on the origins of coronavirus. So, here is a script you might want to use if you want to give lectures on public health topics.
“You mentioned your whole family got very sick with COVID. They certainly made a strong virus in that Wuhan lab. What a coincidence that the outbreak started in the one city in the world with a lab that specializes in SARS-like coronaviruses. Would it be all right if we discussed this, and I shared some information that I think you might find helpful? Do you know that they were performing gain of function research on bat coronaviruses at the Wuhan Institute of Virology and it was funded by the US government? Many independent scientists believe the lab origin hypothesis is the most likely theory of how COVID started. I am always here if you want to talk more about the lab origin of the COVID virus.”
Oh for crying out loud. What are these loons smoking and why is someone letting them publish?
Great piece. This is SO over the line that it makes me sick. WHO, what patient, would tolerate this question from his or her Doc. I’m with Pat. Ask me a question like this and there would be sparks coming off my shoes getting out of there.
I LOVE when imbeciles in ivory towers tell me how to practice. It sends me into a rage.
Climate change and global warming leads to BS becoming more pungent. I are an expert.
Hahaha…. bravo, good piece. If some numbskull doctor started preaching to me about climate change, he wouldn’t be troubled by a second visit.
What would happen if a physician said, “I see you are obese – did you know that this is a major risk factor for illness and death if infected by COVID-19? Would it be alright if I shared som morbidity and mortality data regarding obesity that I think you might find helpful?”
Thank you for pointing this out Dr Kramer. The latest example of behavior that prompted me not to renew my memberships in the American College of Physicians nor in the American Medical Association when I turned 65 years old and dropped my Disability and Life Insurance policies with both organizations. Would have left much sooner were it not for those disincentives but now do not need either anymore. Who rises to overpaid leadership positions in these organizations? Same ilk of ideologues who go into Academia and have taken over the Universities in general. “Those that can do. Those that can’t teach.” And seek administrative jobs that are well paid to pontificate to the real Doctors taking care of real patients while these so called “Leaders” hide in their offices pretending to be Doctors of Medicine. I’m 68 now and still taking care of my patients and shall continue to do so as long as my health and the Fates and the Furies permit it. “Until death do us part” despite the behavior of these organizations, Federal and Local Government minions and all the other administrative meddlers.
I still have a life insurance policy through the AMA…haven’t been a member since med school…just sayin’
The specific term of those ilk is “Ivory Tower Bastids”. Glad I’m retired.