Patient Interview

What are the goals of a patient interview?

A clinical patient interview is an exchange of information between a patient and a clinician. The patient interview is of great significance as it helps in identifying the ailment and determining the best treatment plan for the ailment. Patients are expected to give clinicians accurate responses to the questions posed during the interview as their feedback contributes to quick recovery (Gantt, 2018). This is because appropriate feedback gives a clinician appropriate information to determine the appropriate medication (Jull et al., 2018). Therefore, the patient interview is important to both the clinicians and patients. During a patient interview, a patient is given a chance to express how they feel more openly and efficiently, and the nurse is allowed to assess the condition of the patient hence easing diagnosis.

The goals of the patient interview include identifying the history of the patient’s health. During patient interviews, nurses ask whether a patient has ever had such a condition before, and if they have, they also ask about the measures that were taken to address the condition (Jull et al., 2018). Health professionals use the history of a patient’s health in determining the appropriate measures to take to address the patient’s condition. The other goal of patient interviews is to create a compassionate environment that encourages patients to get better.

The goals of the patient interview also include improving communication skills between the patient and clinicians. This ensures that effective communication is created between a clinician, such as decision-making skills and skills of history taking, physical assessment, and making therapeutic decisions. The assessment is significant in helping identify the area of specialization of a nurse. The patient interview is also aimed at creating a mutual connection between nurses and patients (Gantt, 2018). This makes it easy for patients to reveal very crucial health details that are used to ensure a quick recovery. Identifying the relationship between the patient and his or her family members is another goal of the patient interview. Therefore, patients are required to provide clinicians with clear and honest feedback.

Components of Patient’s History

The patient’s history has components that help better the provided services. The most important components of a patient’s history are the name and the address of the patient. Another component is the medical history of the patient which entails any prior health issues. Family health history, which is used to identify any genetic condition, is another component of the patient’s history (Hashim, 2017). The other component is mental history. Other components include diagnostic tests and physical procedures and their results. All the components of the patient’s history help nurses to identify the current issues of the patient and determine the appropriate treatment.

Improper Techniques for Measuring Blood Pressure

There was a time I used an improper technique in measuring blood pressure. In that incident, a patient arrived at the medical center I was working at, and he looked confused. He could not even explain his issues and how he was feeling. The patient had a long-sleeved shirt, and I used the BP cuff to measure the patient’s pressure with the shirt on, and the readings showed normal BP. After several minutes, the patient was able to talk, and he stated that his blood pressure was the problem. I repeated the blood pressure again with the help of another nurse, using the correct BP measurement technique, and the readings showed that the BP was very high. From this incident, I learned that nurses should ensure that they use the right technique when measuring a patient’s BP despite the state of a patient to avoid inaccurate readings. I also learned that it is inappropriate to make decisions without the knowledge of the patient’s history.

Different Culture barriers

It is challenging to handle and treat patients of different cultures. This is because of barriers such as cultural values and language barriers (Garber, 2020). For example, a foreigner or citizen with a distinct language makes it hard to understand what the patient is saying, and this makes the interview complex because of communication barriers. This then calls for an interpreter to enhance the communication, hence affecting confidentiality.

References

Gantt, S. P. (2018). The diagnostic goals of the initial interview in systems-centered. Systems-Centered Therapy: Clinical Practice with Individuals, Families and Groups, 35.

Garber, M. B. (2020). The Patient Interview: The Science Behind the Art of Skillful Communication. Primary Care for the Physical Therapist E-Book: Examination and Triage, 39.

Hashim, M. J. (2017). Patient-centered communication: basic skills. American family physician, 95(1), 29-34.

Jull, G., Sterling, M., Rivett, D. A., & Jones, M. A. (2018). Patient Interview. Clinical Reasoning in Musculoskeletal Practice-E-Book, 241.

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