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Effective Communication Skills

• Use open questions to encourage patients to share more information about their problem
• Use prompts like "I see", "I understand", "Tell me more about that" to make the patient feel heard
• Nod your head to show you're considering their ideas and opinions
• Repeat the last statement made by the patient with a questioning tone to ensure understanding
• Take notes without interrupting the patient

Eliciting Information

• Ask patients about their history, including medical, surgical, family, psychosocial, and drug history
• Clarify any unclear information by asking follow-up questions
• Use the patient's words to summarize their information
• Give the patient time to digest the information before moving forward

Parts of History

• Demographic Data: name, age, gender, race, marital status, residence, occupation, religion
• Chief Complaint: 1-2 symptoms that brought the patient to the hospital, duration
• History of Present Illness: detailed story of the condition in the patient's words
• Systemic Review: gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, respiratory, urogenital, neurological, musculoskeletal, and integumentary systems
• Past History: medical, surgical, family, social, and drug history

Symptomatology

• Pain: site, quality, intensity, timing, aggravating and relieving factors, referral, radiation, and migration
• Cough: frequency, change of posture, productive or dry, sputum color and amount, associated symptoms
• Dyspnea: shortness of breath, classification, orthopnea, exertional dyspnea, paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea
• Dysphagia: difficulty swallowing, painful or painless, to solid food, fluid, or saliva
• Weight Loss: amount, period, significant weight loss (>10% of body weight in 3 months)
• Appetite: increased, decreased, or remained the same

Vomiting

• Quantity or volume, frequency, quality, associated blood, color, and taste
• Projective, self-induced, or effortless vomiting, timing, and relieving pain
• Associated symptoms, preceding symptom or factor, and flatulence

Jaundice

• Yellowish discoloration of skin and eyes, progressive or intermittent, painless or painful
• Itching, dark-colored urine, and pale stools in obstructive jaundice
• Associated symptoms, such as loss of appetite, weight loss, and dyspepsia

Defaecation

• Bowel habits: frequency, color, consistency, amount, smell, and specific gravity
• Diarrhea: increased frequency, watery consistency, large amount, and urgency
• Constipation: absolute constipation, obstipation, bleeding per rectum, and types of bleeding

Communication Skills

• Room environment: quiet, air-conditioned, well-lit, and one patient at a time
• Principles: introduce yourself, shake hands, make the patient sit comfortably, ask about companions, establish a relationship, and use simple clear language
• Listen well, don't interrupt, clarify patient symptoms, achieve empathy, and provide information in small packages
• Use open questions, probing questions, closed questions, leading questions, double-barreled questions, and difficult questions

Learn about the principles of effective communication in healthcare settings, including how to introduce yourself, establish relationships, ask appropriate questions, listen actively, and avoid interruptions. Discover the importance of creating an optimal room environment for patient interactions.