I was recently listening to one of my favorite news sources, NPR, enjoying an interview with James E. Ryan, the author of “Wait, What? – and Life’s Other Essential Questions”. The premise was that asking the right questions can lead to a happier and more successful life. A physician called in to relate that this was something he had been doing in his medical practice. I couldn’t have agreed more – the questions I ask my patients (and then listening to their answers) can go a long way toward making an intervention in their health care more successful.
I’d like to roll all the patients with diabetes I’ve seen over the years into one, and use them as the “poster child” for this blog. The first question in my interview is if the patient even knows they have diabetes. Some have been on Metformin or another oral medication, and have not connected that it is for diabetes. Asking for a medication list is routine these days, and I am sure you can agree with why. Compliance with a wound plan of care can go nowhere if the client is unaware of what the cause could be.  <<CONTINUED>>