Communication skills may not be enough
Having good communication skills may not be enough for effective patient-physician relationships. Sometimes the situation may be unfavorable for the patient, that however hard we try to make the encounter pleasant, we end up failing and it becomes a bitter experience for both the patient and the physician. This happened to me a week ago and it took me quite some time to process the episode and gather my thoughts to write about it. Mr. K was a lean, tall, balding, middle-aged man from a town about 20 Km away from the clinic. He walked in with a pleasant smile. Right behind him came his wife and she had in her arms their 2 year old daughter. The baby was crying and his wife was standing with the baby in her arms, trying to comfort and quieten the child. “Do you want to take the baby out and calm her down? It is quite crowded in here and also not a friendly environment for a child.” I suggested. “No doctor, I want to be around. Ignore us. She will be quiet. ...