As physicians, our success in treating illness depends mostly on our ability to diagnose what is the matter with the patient. An emphasis on diagnostic skill sets alone, however, has led to approaches in which care is designed around disease and the doctor dictating treatment to the patient. Sosena Kebede explains why we need to start asking patients “What matters to you?” rather than “What’s the matter
This can help reframe interactions in a more patient centered way Maureen Bisognano, one of the keynote speakers at this year’s International Forum on Quality and Safety in Healthcare in Gothenburg, Sweden, told delegates that we should ask our patients, “What matters to you?” rather than, “What is the matter?” The question “What matters to you?” tries to get to the essence of patient centered care, which the Institute of Medicine has listed as one of the priorities for quality improvement. As physicians, our success in treating illness depends mostly on our ability to diagnose what the matter is with the patient. Pattern recognition, attention to verbal and visual cues from the patient, deductive reasoning, and good clinical judgment are time revered skills that good physicians spend years perfecting. The emphasis on diagnostic skill sets alone, however, has led …
Sorgente: Ask patients “What matters to you?” rather than “What’s the matter?” | The BMJ
