“What Else?” Setting the Agenda for the Clinical Interview
Authors: Laurence H. Baker, Daniel O'Connell, Frederic W. Platt
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2005)

Medical Writings: Words That Make a Difference15 November 2005"What Else?" Setting the Agenda for the Clinical InterviewLaurence H. Baker, PhD, Daniel O'Connell, PhD, and Frederic W. Platt, MDLaurence H. Baker, PhDFrom the Institute for Health Care Communication and Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, OR 97212; the Institute for Health Care Communication and University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98119; and the Institute for Health Care Communication and University of Colorado School of Medicine, Denver, CO 80205., Daniel O'Connell, PhDFrom the Institute for Health Care Communication and Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, OR 97212; the Institute for Health Care Communication and University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98119; and the Institute for Health Care Communication and University of Colorado School of Medicine, Denver, CO 80205., and Frederic W. Platt, MDFrom the Institute for Health Care Communication and Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, OR 97212; the Institute for Health Care Communication and University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98119; and the Institute for Health Care Communication and University of Colorado School of Medicine, Denver, CO 80205.Author, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-143-10-200511150-00033 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Let's consider this all too-common ending of a medical interview:Dr. A.: Well, Ms. X., it looks like that head stuffiness is just a bad virus cold and not a bacterial sinus infection, so I think we're going to have to wait it out. Antibiotics don't help with viruses and really could cause more trouble, so I don't think we'll need them.(He stands and moves to the door, his hand on the doorknob.)So I'm glad it wasn't anything worse. Let me know if it seems to be hanging around more than another week or if anything else develops.... References1. White J, Levinson W, Roter D. "Oh, by the way ...": the closing moments of the medical visit. J Gen Intern Med. 1994;9:24-8. [PMID: 8133347] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. Beckman HB, Frankel RM. The effect of physician behavior on the collection of data. Ann Intern Med. 1984;101:692-6. [PMID: 6486600] LinkGoogle Scholar3. Marvel MK, Epstein RM, Flowers K, Beckman HB. Soliciting the patient's agenda: have we improved? JAMA. 1999;281:283-7. [PMID: 9918487] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Stewart MA, McWhinney IR, Buck CW. The doctor/patient relationship and its effect upon outcome. J R Coll Gen Pract. 1979;29:77-81. [PMID: 480298] MedlineGoogle Scholar5. Starfield B, Wray C, Hess K, Gross R, Birk PS, D'Lugoff BC. The influence of patient-practitioner agreement on outcome of care. Am J Public Health. 1981;71:127-31. [PMID: 7457681] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar6. Burack RC, Carpenter RR. The predictive value of the presenting complaint. J Fam Pract. 1983;16:749-54. [PMID: 6833963] MedlineGoogle Scholar7. Silverman J, Kurtz S, Draper J. Skills for Communicating with Patients. 2nd ed. Oxford: Radcliffe; 2005:12. Google Scholar8. Platt FW, Gordon GH. Field Guide to the Difficult Patient Interview. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2004:43-53. Google Scholar9. Barsky AJ. Hidden reasons some patients visit doctors. Ann Intern Med. 1981;94:492-8. [PMID: 7212508] LinkGoogle Scholar10. Dugdale DC, Epstein R, Pantilat SZ. Time and the patient–physician relationship. J Gen Intern Med. 1999;14 Suppl 1 S34-40. [PMID: 9933493] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar11. Byrne PS, Long BEL. Doctors Talking to Patients. London: HMSO; 1976. Google Scholar12. Andersson SO, Mattsson B. Features of good consultation in general practice: is time important? Scand J Prim Health Care. 1994;12:227-32. [PMID: 7863138] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar13. Platt FW, Gaspar DL, Coulehan JL, Fox L, Adler AJ, Weston WW, et al. "Tell me about yourself": The patient-centered interview. Ann Intern Med. 2001;134:1079-85. [PMID: 11388827] LinkGoogle Scholar14. Silverman J, Kurtz S, Draper J. Skills for Communicating with Patients. 2nd ed. Oxford: Radcliffe; 2005:54. Google Scholar15. Levenstein JH, Belle-Brown J, Weston WW, Stewart M, McCracken EC, McWhinney I. Patient-centered clinical interviewing.. In: Stewart M, Roter D, eds. Communicating with Medical Patients. Newbury Park, CA: Sage; 1989. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From the Institute for Health Care Communication and Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, OR 97212; the Institute for Health Care Communication and University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98119; and the Institute for Health Care Communication and University of Colorado School of Medicine, Denver, CO 80205.Acknowledgments: The authors acknowledge the input of several thousand physicians and other clinician-participants in Institute for Healthcare Communication workshops from 1990 through 2005.Disclosures: Consultancies: L.H. Baker (Institute for Healthcare Communication); D. O'Connell (Institute for Healthcare Communication); F.W. Platt (Institute for Healthcare Communication); Royalties: F.W. Platt (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins).Corresponding Author: Frederic W. Platt, MD, 1901 East 20th Avenue, Denver, CO 80205; e-mail, Frederic.[email protected]edu.Current Author Addresses: Dr. Baker: 929 NE Brazee Street, Portland, OR 91212.Dr. O'Connell: 1816 1st Avenue West, Seattle, WA 98119.Dr. Platt: 1901 East 20th Avenue, Denver, CO 80205. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoSetting the Agenda for the Clinical Interview Paul R. Minton Metrics Cited byAgenda navigation in consultations covering multiple topics. 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Minton, MD 15 November 2005Volume 143, Issue 10Page: 766-770KeywordsBloodBlood pressureCommunication in health careEmotionsHealth careIschemiaLungsPatient advocacyPharyngitisSystematic reviews ePublished: 15 November 2005 Issue Published: 15 November 2005 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2005 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...