Can You See Me?

General practitioners (or GPs as we say in England) are some of the most advanced users of software to support them in their day-to-day clinics. Many practices use their computer-based medical record as the primary source of information about the patient sitting in front of them. An ingenious system of coding every sort of ailment, disease and unfortunate event that can befall man means that all sorts of useful data can be extracted and used to help better manage each patient's health. In fact they're so good, that our lords and masters want us to do more and more with them, mostly more good stuff. As with so many good things, there is a trade-off. Your doctor can't be looking at you if he is busy typing in his consultation notes and looking at patients is still an important part of any consultation.

My son had to visit his new GP for the first time recently. On being summoned, he entered the consulting room and held out his hand to shake that of the doctor. The doctor never looked up from the screen on which he was reading my son's summary. Instead he asked: "how are you?". Luckily my son was in one piece. Nothing was hanging off, exuding pus or bleeding over the floor so he didn't look as foolish as my son felt.

We should all remember that it is as important to look as to listen. Body language can tell much about the person that the words won't reveal on their own. If a patient limps in and sits down with a grimace, it wouldn't take much medical skill to see that there is something amiss, even if it isn't what the patient has come to talk about.

Then there is the question of plain good manners.