Interfacing with the Doctor Within: "Patient Listener"

How about outsourcing "Medical Patient Listening"?

The "Patient Listener" could listen at length to a patient, take medical history, ask probing questions, etc. - working with the patient to develop a summarized version, symptom/event timeline, etc. of the patient's story - for the doctor to better diagnose, and treat. Summary would include more than just medical history and symptoms - like "what else is going on" in their lives, personality profiles, etc. - to help the doctor hone in on the exact diagnosis and treatment plan.

Why not? Could this be a new career option in Complementary Medicine?

New value-added feature for Patient Advocates?

This concept might help bridge the gap between the unheard patient and the busy practitioner.

Qualifications might include:

Good listener
Caring
Have time (retired health care professionals?)
Able to interpret body language
Ability to guide conversations to achieve results
Know what questions to ask to get at the root problem
Be open to symptoms being partially physical and partly psychological.

Maybe this "Story Listener" wouldn't have to be a doctor, nurse, etc. - Maybe the Listener could be a caring LPN, Community Health Worker, etc.

Maybe this concept could reduce overall health care costs. Sometimes just listening heals in itself. Maybe the M.D. would be more efficient. Sometimes when the patient realizes what the problem is, they can fix it themselves, e.g. manage stress, self-help, etc.

In addition to interviewing the patient, the listener could interview family/friends to better understand "what is really going on".

This approach might be particularly helpful for chronic health conditions....for those who are "sick and tired of being sick and tired".

It is much more important to know what sort of a patient has a disease than what sort of a disease a patient has. William Osler
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/w/williamosl391388.html

It is much more important to know what sort of a patient has a disease than what sort of a disease a patient has.
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/w/williamosl391388.html

"It is much more important to know what sort of a patient has a disease than what sort of a disease a patient has." - William Osler

It is much more important to know what sort of a patient has a disease than what sort of a disease a patient has.
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/w/williamosl391388.html

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Some ideas to think about....

Monday, March 21, 2016

"Patient Listener" - New Medical Career Option?

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Disclaimer - Article is for information only and not medical/legal advice.

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