Dr. Aimee (Eyvazzadeh, http://www.draimee.org/) and I had an email conversation in follow-up to my May e-newsletter column, This is Not What I Signed Up For!
She brought up how hard it is for her when the news she has to deliver to hopeful patients is not the news they want to hear. This was my reply:
How like you to be aware of the important of that moment! Apparently when a patient goes to a doctor for test results, he/she is in what amounts to a hypnotic trance state. What the doctor says in that moment then becomes a hypnotic suggestion. So, HOW a doctor delivers bad news is indeed very impactful. The physician's words, tone and manner have great influence. Just the fact that you genuinely care about your patients as human beings instead of some science experiment makes a difference.
You and I have compared notes on how thoughtless some physicians are in their use of language, and the damage that does – often creating a negative post-hypnotic suggestion for the patient. "Apparently your womb is a war zone." Or "Your body is at war with itself." Yikes!
You can certainly take comfort in the fact that you are unlikely to make the situation worse!
Dr. Aimee is definitely more mindful than many physicians about the impact of her words on patients. In follow-up to our conversation, she decided to change the name she'd been giving to the appointment after test results come in -- from "the debriefing appointment " to "the transitional appointment."
Thursday, May 13, 2010
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