Volume 4 Issue 3 March, 2014
The “Art” of Interview
On a busy OP day my resident reported that the patient, a bank employee, he was allotted for detail work up was not co-operative. He was reluctant to give family history and wanted to talk to me. After making him wait for some time I could call him in. He wanted to talk to me alone. After I sent my resident out the patient asked me if the family details are essential. When I said it would help us to understand his problems better he hesitated for a while and then said: “Doctor, I do not mind telling you that I am born to a prostitute and I do not know who my father is. But I can tell you that my present problems are not due to this fact. I respect my mother for the way she brought me up, gave me education and cared for me. I do not think that she has deprived me of anything I deserved so far. What I am today is due to her dedicated efforts. She has even got me married and I have a loving wife and two children. I have stress at present at my work place and that is why the physician has referred me to you. I did not like to reveal these facts to a junior doctor when I do not know how he would react to them. Am I wrong in doing so?” I did not have a prompt answer to his question as I could empathize with him.
I wonder how often situations like this prevent our patients and their relatives from giving us the facts and may be force them to provide false information to cover up. On such occasions when patient &/or the informant is reluctant to provide an information, may be it is prudent to defer it till such time that its relevance is evident or there is adequate rapport.
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