The “difficult historian”, and why we as Doctors may find that “difficult”

Have you ever had a “difficult historian” who sends you into a state of confusion with their presenting complaints?

It’s like you and your patient are on a completely different wavelength.

Being a Family Doctor is tough because we need to be fluent in both the “logical” and the “feeling” language.

When people give us a history, they express in “words” as well as the “underlying feelings” behind those words.

If the key points expressed by our patients are through the “feelings”, but our focus is on the precise “words”, then we may be in trouble.

If the key points expressed by our patients are through the “precise words”, but our focus is on the “feelings” behind those words, then we may also be misguided.

Can you relate to the above?

If we know our own bias towards “feelings” or “precise words”, and our patient’s bias towards “feelings” or “precise words”, then that may help towards better communication.