Recently, while visiting a bookstore in a university town, I picked up a book with an intriguing name: How Doctors Think by Jerome Groopman, M.D. This book, that has been on the New York Times Bestseller list, explores doctor/patient interactions and the medical school model of assessing a patient based on algorithms and clinical data.
This book reveals that language is the first and foremost tool in interacting with patients and assessing them correctly. The author states that if a doctor will only listen to what a patient says, he will have his diagnosis. He does admit that physicians are “under the influence” of pharmaceutical companies and seems to accept that as one way to advance medicine.
With forty years of clinical practice behind him, when he wrote this book, Dr. Groopman does his colleagues a service by asking them to communicate more effectively with patients and to consider everything stated by the patient, not just looking at previously-compiled material as Gospel, but reaching conclusions based on their own judgment and experience.
Open-ended questions serve well; closed-end questions that require “yes” or “no” answers do not open any new doors very often.
From a personal standpoint, I have run into obstacles in communication due to language barriers, the prejudice of some doctors for older people, and prejudice of physicians against people with certain disabilities.
Sometimes, communication is too vague to be effective at all. For example, if a doctor tells me not to drink orange juice, but does not explain herself, and I can find no reason not to do so, I will continue to drink orange juice. General statements do not fit all patients.
If I’d been given a compelling reason not to do so, I would have modified my behavior. In fact, I did try to give up orange juice and shortly thereafter, came down with a new problem that drinking orange juice could have helped to avoid. That further undermined my faith in that particular doctor.
I have only read about 1/3 of How Doctors Think but am finding it insightful. I can see how this book would be helpful to both patient and doctor. Sometimes, doctors ask questions that are not germaine to one’s health problem. I hope to learn more as I continue reading this important volume that provides many examples of health-care interactions and outcomes.
