Chapter 5 Communicating with medical practitioners It is good both for patient care and also for interprofessional relationships that complementary medical practitioners maintain contact with the conventional medical practitioners who are involved in the ongoing healthcare of their patients. One important reason for complementary therapists to communicate with conventional doctors is to refer patients who demonstrate red flag conditions, so that the patient can access relevant medical advice and treatment. If the communication is made in a way which is both valid in terms of patient care and respectful of the professional to whom it is directed then it can only serve to improve relationships between complementary and conventional medical practitioners. In this way it can serve to promote the ideals of integrated health care. Choice of method of communication There are three methods by which a complementary medical practitioner might choose to communicate with a conventional medical doctor about a patient. By far the most commonly used and convenient method is to allow the patient to do the communicating by making an appointment with their doctor. Alternatively the practitioner can telephone the practice or hospital to speak to the patient’s health care professional in person. The most formal approach is to write a letter. These three approaches will be considered in turn. Using the patient as the communicator The most usual clinical situation in which it may help for the patient to communicate something about a complementary health consultation with their doctor is when a non-urgent red flag has been identified. An example of this is the situation when an elderly patient mentions they have been more thirsty than usual for the past 3 months and have been passing large amounts of urine (red flag of type 2 diabetes). In this situation the patient needs to be advised to make an appointment with their doctor so that the possibility of serious disease can be excluded or confirmed. At the appointment, the patient can then explain to the doctor that their practitioner is concerned about their symptoms and that, for example, there is a possibility of diabetes. In many such situations, a letter is not necessary. As long it is clear to the therapist that the necessary information can be communicated effectively by the patient, this may be the most empowering option for them. Speaking to the doctor in person Speaking to the doctor in person is the preferred mode of communication either if a patient needs to be referred urgently or if there is a matter of some complexity which needs to be discussed. Most doctors would be very happy to discuss a problem concerning a patient over the telephone (for example ‘Mrs Jones, who lives alone, seems to have been getting progressively more confused. Are you aware of this?’). Whenever possible, it is important to ensure that the patient is told in advance what is going to be said to ensure that there is no breach of confidentiality. It is normal in UK general practice to have systems in place where doctors make telephone consultations on request, usually at a particular time of the day. However, in a situation of high urgency, the duty doctor may be contacted straight away. The practice receptionist is trained to discern which calls merit urgent handling. If the call is after office hours, then it will be transferred to an ‘on-call’ doctor when the practice telephone number is called. It is important to bear in mind that the doctor who is contacted may not know the patient, or have any access to details about them, although in office hours the doctor should have electronic access to patient records. Communicating by letter The letter is an appropriate method of referring complex patients and also of communicating clinical information about a patient in a non-urgent situation. A letter is not appropriate if information or advice is required, as the process of writing a reply is inconvenient for a busy doctor, and delays may occur if a letter has then to be typed and posted. If a problem needs to be discussed, such as Mrs Jones’ confusion, then the telephone is the best medium. A letter is most useful when it either precedes or accompanies a patient who has made an appointment with the doctor. The letter can then communicate the additional information which it may be important to impart. Only gold members can continue reading. Log In or Register to continue Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Related Related posts: C tables: Red flags requiring urgent referral Red flags and referrals: Ethical points Red flags of disease B tables: Red flags ordered by symptom keyword A tables: Red flags ordered by physiological system Study of the Mechanism behind Moxibustion Stay updated, free articles. Join our Telegram channel Join Tags: The Complementary Therapists Guide to Red Flags and Referrals Oct 3, 2016 | Posted by admin in MANUAL THERAPIST | Comments Off on Communicating with medical practitioners Full access? Get Clinical Tree
Chapter 5 Communicating with medical practitioners It is good both for patient care and also for interprofessional relationships that complementary medical practitioners maintain contact with the conventional medical practitioners who are involved in the ongoing healthcare of their patients. One important reason for complementary therapists to communicate with conventional doctors is to refer patients who demonstrate red flag conditions, so that the patient can access relevant medical advice and treatment. If the communication is made in a way which is both valid in terms of patient care and respectful of the professional to whom it is directed then it can only serve to improve relationships between complementary and conventional medical practitioners. In this way it can serve to promote the ideals of integrated health care. Choice of method of communication There are three methods by which a complementary medical practitioner might choose to communicate with a conventional medical doctor about a patient. By far the most commonly used and convenient method is to allow the patient to do the communicating by making an appointment with their doctor. Alternatively the practitioner can telephone the practice or hospital to speak to the patient’s health care professional in person. The most formal approach is to write a letter. These three approaches will be considered in turn. Using the patient as the communicator The most usual clinical situation in which it may help for the patient to communicate something about a complementary health consultation with their doctor is when a non-urgent red flag has been identified. An example of this is the situation when an elderly patient mentions they have been more thirsty than usual for the past 3 months and have been passing large amounts of urine (red flag of type 2 diabetes). In this situation the patient needs to be advised to make an appointment with their doctor so that the possibility of serious disease can be excluded or confirmed. At the appointment, the patient can then explain to the doctor that their practitioner is concerned about their symptoms and that, for example, there is a possibility of diabetes. In many such situations, a letter is not necessary. As long it is clear to the therapist that the necessary information can be communicated effectively by the patient, this may be the most empowering option for them. Speaking to the doctor in person Speaking to the doctor in person is the preferred mode of communication either if a patient needs to be referred urgently or if there is a matter of some complexity which needs to be discussed. Most doctors would be very happy to discuss a problem concerning a patient over the telephone (for example ‘Mrs Jones, who lives alone, seems to have been getting progressively more confused. Are you aware of this?’). Whenever possible, it is important to ensure that the patient is told in advance what is going to be said to ensure that there is no breach of confidentiality. It is normal in UK general practice to have systems in place where doctors make telephone consultations on request, usually at a particular time of the day. However, in a situation of high urgency, the duty doctor may be contacted straight away. The practice receptionist is trained to discern which calls merit urgent handling. If the call is after office hours, then it will be transferred to an ‘on-call’ doctor when the practice telephone number is called. It is important to bear in mind that the doctor who is contacted may not know the patient, or have any access to details about them, although in office hours the doctor should have electronic access to patient records. Communicating by letter The letter is an appropriate method of referring complex patients and also of communicating clinical information about a patient in a non-urgent situation. A letter is not appropriate if information or advice is required, as the process of writing a reply is inconvenient for a busy doctor, and delays may occur if a letter has then to be typed and posted. If a problem needs to be discussed, such as Mrs Jones’ confusion, then the telephone is the best medium. A letter is most useful when it either precedes or accompanies a patient who has made an appointment with the doctor. The letter can then communicate the additional information which it may be important to impart. Only gold members can continue reading. Log In or Register to continue Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Related Related posts: C tables: Red flags requiring urgent referral Red flags and referrals: Ethical points Red flags of disease B tables: Red flags ordered by symptom keyword A tables: Red flags ordered by physiological system Study of the Mechanism behind Moxibustion Stay updated, free articles. Join our Telegram channel Join Tags: The Complementary Therapists Guide to Red Flags and Referrals Oct 3, 2016 | Posted by admin in MANUAL THERAPIST | Comments Off on Communicating with medical practitioners Full access? Get Clinical Tree
