practice partner
ing it sooner. And he’ll review
what the patient can do in the
meantime, such as exercise and
take vitamin D.
Unneeded tests waste money,
but patients don’t want to hear
about costs, says Dr. Thorne, a
Past President of the Canadian
Rheumatology Association.
They want to feel that everything you’re doing serves their
Dr. Carter Thorne
well-being; that nothing is
arbitrary. That decisions are solely about “adding value to
patient care,” he says.
Dig for the goal
You can’t address a request in isolation, suggests Dr. Liu.
Consider a geriatric patient looking to renew a sleeping
pill. After exploring why it was prescribed, why it’s used
now, health status, etc., Dr. Liu might feel that the pill
is no longer the best option.
Digging deeper, perhaps she’ll learn that what the
patient really wants is to walk to the store without fear
of falling. So that’s a chance to talk about medication
and side effects. “Their day-to-day activity is the goal,”
says Dr. Liu. “You have to look at context.”
What does patient-centred care really mean? “It’s
engaging ]Y[