Text I. Two Consultations

When I was 14 years old my mother took me to see a doctor about some skin lesions on my face and neck. The doctor was reputed to be one of the best in town. At his clinic, we paid consultation fee and waited in a queue. After about 20 minutes, somebody called out my name and asked us to enter the doctor’s room. During the check up, I explained all my problems to him. He examined my lesions, quickly wrote down a prescription of drugs and asked us to come for follow-up after a week. It hardly took a minute for him to see us off.

I hadn’t expected such a short consultation and felt he hadn’t given me enough time to explain about my problems and treatment in detail. Though he gave me a prescription, he failed to give any assurance or encouragement. I know my mother felt the same. I used the drugs that he had prescribed, and they cured my problem. But I never came back to him for follow-up.

About a year ago, I accompanied my sick mother to another doctor for a very different consultation. Firstly, my mother explained all her problems in detail. The doctor listened carefully and, after thoroughly examining her, told us all about the disease she had and the treatment he was going to give. Finally he asked her if she understood everything. My mother nodded happily. I could see from her face how happy and relieved she felt after this consultation.

Now I am in my final year at medical school. Looking back at those two consultations, I think they epitomize bad and good doctor-patient relationships. I see many patients daily; as a student, I can’t give them anything but assurance, support, hope, and my time to listen to their concerns. I know it helps them. This reinforces my belief that the best management strategy for a patient can be made stronger when laid on a strong foundation of a good doctor-patient relationship.

(Taken from Good Practice, McCullagh and Wright, 2008)

20. Read the text II and give its summary: