Patient Assessment

Interviewing is a difficult skill to master demanding the physician both emotional and
intellectual skills. During analysis, the diagnostic reasoning is balanced with interpersonal
skills needed to establish communication and rapport with the patient (Breen and Greenberg).
In the assessment of Mr Smith, most of the information was captured but some were not.
Adaptive devices and the supplies needed were missing. The patient’s pain issues and
management through activity intervention were missing in the assessment. There are no
comments, observation and plan of the case in the interview notes.
The interviewer keeps the patient talking about their condition in a productive fashion
with directive and closed questions coming to the end of the interview. Transitional questions
should be used to prepare the patient on the next question (lichstein). Before concluding the
interview, the interviewer completes a symptom checklist that assures that all psychological
and physical areas of the patient have been covered. In my observation, the interview was
more complicated as the patient could not talk and first-hand information especially of
emotions could not be attained. The patient requires emotional support as he seems
depressed, the interviewer should show empathy and support. Mary should be probed more
on the issue and care and management support given. .

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An effective interaction is set during the first minutes of an interview by the
interviewer. The introduction establishes the interviewer name, role, purpose-interest of the
customer and the time limit. He/she should recognize the patient’s emotion and respond to
them on a supportive manner, a depressed patient is withdrawn and requires support. In the
first minutes of the interview, the questions should be open-ended where the patient is
allowed to talk un-restricted as the patient will talk about almost all of their problems. In our
case, the patient is not talking and the wife should be allowed to have talked openly and the
flow should be followed by questions.
Mr Smith is withdrawn from the outside world and refuses the use of fresh air and
other outdoor activities, encouragement and more probing on the issue is required. In the
comments, therapy should be initiated; he should be encouraged to join group activities, more
outdoor activities and encouraged to have a hobby with music included in his therapy.
Depression should be treated and managed by anti-depressant and physical therapy to help
him emotionally. Mary should undergo training on ways of taking care of his husband and
managing the depression condition

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Work Cited

Breen, K. J., and P. B. Greenberg. “Difficult Physician-Patient Encounters”. Internal
Medicine Journal 40.10 (2010): 682-688. Web.
lichstein, peter. The Medical Interview. 1990. Print.