This week at the hospital…
I had a patient with breast cancer. She wasn’t admitted for that, but it was a concern because she had plans for surgery to remove a lump in a few days, and there was tremendous anxiety around the fact that this hospitalization may change the timeline for that already anxiety-inducing surgery. On top of that, she was an anxious person. You see where I’m going here? She had a lovely husband, whom we’ll call SuperGuy. SuperGuy was an incredible advocate; trying to suss out the details, asking clarifying questions, and ensuring his wife understood the answers. I did a few simple things that made a real difference in the icky hospital stay/panic-inducing scenario:
I provided information about the current diagnosis, how it affected the surgical situation, and offered truthful and direct guidance on what to expect - including both the best-case and worst-case scenarios. I delivered that information in a way that was compassionate but unequivocal. I communicated with her surgeon and arranged for said surgeon to come and see her to decrease the anxiety further. I circled back with SuperGuy to ensure he was fully getting the situation. He was her rock, so I ensured he had all the necessary information in a format that made sense to her, him, and me. This is how I practice medicine in the hospital. Clear communication is my number one priority (right after fixing the medical problem). If we don’t make it a priority, then what are we really doing?