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When the family wants to speak to the doctor

Being a doctor is often more about talking to people and communicating than it is about the scientific practice of medicine. This is something that is unfortunately not taught enough in medical school, and it’s left to newly qualified doctors to realize very quickly as they start their careers.Throughout the busy and hectic day of any hospital-based physician—no matter what their specialty—one of the most common requests we hear from nurses is whether patients’ family members can also speak with us. These requests will always be attempted to be met with duty of service. Occasionally, however (and this is the absolute minority), I’ve encountered physicians who shrug their shoulders and wonder, “What does the family want?”, or “I spent so much time talking with the patient, why does the family need to speak with me now?”. Some of these feelings can be legitimate, especially if the doctor feels rushed and under pressure to move on to the next patient. But it personally makes me internally shudder if I see any doctor who doesn’t feel it their duty to talk with their patient’s family.

Courtesy and Author: Suneel Dhand