NEW YORK TIMES: … “Real life is all about the narrative,” he said. “It’s sitting down and talking about bowel movements with a 79-year-old woman for 45 minutes. It’s not that interesting, but that’s where it happens.”
Dr. [Rajeev] Alexander’s method is at the center of an emotional debate in medicine, in which the imperative to increase efficiency in a high-cost health care system is often at odds with the deference traditionally accorded to doctors.
Dr. Alexander considers it proper technique to review each mundane detail with a patient. He is full of scorn for the eureka style of medical diagnosis depicted on television, and by his own admission, he reads a CT scan with the sophistication of a barber… (more)
EDITOR: We recommend reading the entire article because the above excerpt only represents a small part of its thrust.
It is unfortunate, but a fact of life, that doctors need to play detective in order to obtain vital information from many patients.
Those of us who can should make it a point to prepare notes before an appointment so that we can supply all relevant information in minimal time. This way the diagnosis can be more accurate and the doctor will have more time for those who require it.
