Since I have been working with orthopaedic patients and with people in pain, I have developed some rules by which I practise. We all do this in our various occupations. I get fixated with one guideline or another at times, hopefully moving the idea forward.
My latest thing you should NOT do with patients is give them concepts without explanations. When they come to us there is usually a diagnosis involved, an inference about the possible underlying pathology. It's a concept and that's dangerous.
When we provide information and educational input to patients, we are transferring part of our concepts to them. Unfortunately these ideas do not pass smoothly from one person to another, nor does the recipient of the information interpret the concept in the same way as the giver.
Giving someone a concept, or part of a concept, and letting them get on with it is bad. That's it. Bad. Who knows how they will interpret this and what images they will conjure up?
We HAVE to give explanations with our concepts, we have to find out what the patients are thinking when we give them a concept. Then we need to correct the interpretation if we feel it is inaccurate. And check again later. It's that important.
Be wary of giving Concepts Without Explanation.
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