The other side of the fence

[24 hours to my exam]

Reading over recent entries, I realise it would be easy to suppose that I am becoming callous (or trying to be) in order to cope with emotional overload. The truth (or part of the truth) is that writing well about one's emotional response to a situation requires one to at least partially relive it. And sometimes that is a luxury I just can't afford. (e.g. when I need to ram hard facts into my memory for the exam)

On the other hand, I have been fascinated of late by the writing of Patient bloggers, such as Tiffany C. I can't remember anymore how I stumbled upon her blog, but it remains one of my favourites. Some entries, such as this one have been particularly helpful with my own approach to patients who are growing up with chronic illness.

The problem, of course, is that not all patients (or parents) are quite so articulate. Being a doctor is sometimes a bit like being a translator. Say you are explaining to parents something like a new diagnosis of Down Syndrome. You have about 20 seconds to assess their vocabulary (medical and non-medical) and likely desired level of detail, as well as their emotional response. If the admitting doctor has taken a detailed social history (e.g. parents' ages and occupations) then you have a leg up - but it can still be risky to assume things.