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Annals Journal Club
Nov/Dec 2013: Interacting With Patients
The Annals of Family Medicine encourages readers to develop a learning community of those seeking to improve health care and health through enhanced primary care. You can participate by conducting a RADICAL journal club and sharing the results of your discussions in the Annals online discussion for the featured articles. RADICAL is an acronym for Read, Ask, Discuss, Inquire, Collaborate, Act, and Learn. The word radical also indicates the need to engage diverse participants in thinking critically about important issues affecting primary care and then acting on those discussions.1
HOW IT WORKS
In each issue, the Annals selects an article or articles and provides discussion tips and questions. We encourage you to take a RADICAL approach to these materials and to post a summary of your conversation in our online discussion. (Open the article online and click on "TRACK Comments: Submit a response.") You can find discussion questions and more information online at: http://www.AnnFamMed.org/site/AJC/.
CURRENT SELECTION
Articles for Discussion
- Loxterkamp D. What do you expect from a doctor? Six habits for healthier patient encounters. Ann Fam Med. 2013;11(6):574-576.
- Darlow B, Dowell A, Baxter GD, Mathieson F, Perry M, Dean S. The enduring impact of what we say to people with low back pain. Ann Fam Med. 2013;11(6):527-534.
Discussion Tips
This Annals Journal Club provides an opportunity to reflect on a thoughtful essay by an experienced family physician (Loxterkamp), to consider its application to your own practice, and to interpret a research study in this issue.
Discussion Questions
- What problem is addressed by Loxterkamp's essay?
- How does the author engage your interest?
- What are the essay's sources of credibility?
- How does the story set up the 6 habits? How does it make them real or make you question them?
- What is your experience with the habits of identity, listening, touching, looking, planning, and follow-up?
- Are there other habits that you believe should be added to or removed from the list?
- How comparable is the author's experience to your practice setting and personal experience? Does your experience resonate or conflict with his understanding? What is your judgment about the transportability of the insights?
- How might this essay change your practice? How might it change policy, education, or research?
- Who are the constituencies for Loxterkamp's essay? How they might be engaged in interpreting or using the findings?
- How do the 6 habits provide context for your interpretation or application of the findings from the study by Darlow et al of the impact of what we say to people with low back pain?
- What are the next steps in interpreting or applying the findings of Darlow et al?
- What evaluable questions remain?
References
- Stange KC, Miller WL, McLellan LA, et al. Annals Journal Club: It's time to get RADICAL. Ann Fam Med. 2006;4(3):196-197.
The Article in Brief
What Do You Expect From A Doctor? Six Habits for Healthier Patient Encounters
David Loxterkamp
Background Patients should expect competency and a moral compass from their doctor. In this essay, the author describes additional simple habits that might assure that doctor visits are satisfying for both patient and physician.
What This Study Found These these six habits can lead to a healthier, more satisfying practice for the doctor and patient alike.
Identify: Patients need to know their health professional?s level of training and responsibility.
Listen: Patients want their doctors to listen.
Touch: A careful physical exam can provide clues for a diagnosis and create a connection that invites communication.
Look: To get to know patients and earn their trust, the doctor must look at the patient and not at the computer.
Plan: The doctor should outline specific steps that will lead to the patient?s recovery.
Follow-up: Doctors should prepare patients with a prognosis, provide test results, and guide them through their illness.Implications
- Rather than perfection or cure, most patients desire a plan that connects them to another human being--their doctor.
