A surprisingly memorable online consultation
Oliver Sinha
Poetry
Waiting aside his laptop for the ‘Teams’ meeting to begin
Microphone off, camera on, he joined and gave a grin
A consultation lurking, on the strike of 9 am
He’d just finished some notes regarding the brain stem
The patient joined, battling pain and connection difficulties
He opened the consultation which put his nerves at ease
Stories of life and illness were told in great lengths
Being interviewed by a group who shared their strengths
A good consultation closed with pandemic discussion
The patient left with a surprising positive repercussion
Another line spoken, just after they said goodbye
The patient told her husband that I was a nice guy
My poem is from an experience I had during the second term. We were interviewing an elderly patient over ‘Teams’, who, like many elderly people, was finding it hard to use this online system at first. The consultation was relaxed, and I was trying my best to get involved by asking questions. It was one of the first consultations where I felt that I had applied the core model of consultation within our course intentionally, and I had more of a plan of action than I had done for previous consulting experiences.
The main thing that stuck with me from the consultation was at the very end, when the patient thought they had left the ‘Teams’ meeting turned to the other person in their house and exclaimed that I was lovely (or words to that effect). Not only did that make me feel proud for trying my best during the consultation, but it reminded me of one of the reasons I decided to study medicine in the first place. In a consultation you get an insight into someone’s life, an insight that few people will ever see, and so must be treated with respect.
I decided to write a poem for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I’m not the most creative person out there, I certainly can’t draw or paint. Secondly, I do enjoy poems, especially when they rhyme, and it’s quite a good way to convey a story. Also, poems can be interpreted in many different ways, and can be injected with comedy. It was amusing trying to find words to rhyme with the previous line’s ending.
The poem starts by describing what has become ‘the new normal’ in terms of consultation during the pandemic. I have gotten into the routine of going onto ‘Teams’ and making sure my microphone is off, and only taking 5 minutes to get ready, instead of having to get the bus to the GP surgery, during which I would be spending more time mentally preparing myself than I am currently.
The main thing that stuck with me from the consultation was at the very end, when the patient thought they had left the ‘Teams’ meeting turned to the other person in their house and exclaimed that I was lovely (or words to that effect). Not only did that make me feel proud for trying my best during the consultation, but it reminded me of one of the reasons I decided to study medicine in the first place. In a consultation you get an insight into someone’s life, an insight that few people will ever see, and so must be treated with respect.
I decided to write a poem for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I’m not the most creative person out there, I certainly can’t draw or paint. Secondly, I do enjoy poems, especially when they rhyme, and it’s quite a good way to convey a story. Also, poems can be interpreted in many different ways, and can be injected with comedy. It was amusing trying to find words to rhyme with the previous line’s ending.
The poem starts by describing what has become ‘the new normal’ in terms of consultation during the pandemic. I have gotten into the routine of going onto ‘Teams’ and making sure my microphone is off, and only taking 5 minutes to get ready, instead of having to get the bus to the GP surgery, during which I would be spending more time mentally preparing myself than I am currently.
Effective Consulting, Year One, 2021
This poem really stood out to me as only today I had the opportunity to speak to a patient at the GP about his experiences of doctor-patient relationships. He too placed emphasis on the importance of how a doctor presents themselves during a consultation, and how the creation of a rapport encourages him to disclose more information and have trust in the medical profession.
As suggested in the poem, despite the difficulties of online consultations, the patient still left the call feeling positive about their experience and the care they received. Although not medical, this is an aspect of patient consultations that to me holds great significance. I want to acknowledge the power this piece holds in reflecting the feelings of doctors themselves. The perception of a doctor as a human being is so often overlooked, as the successes of the profession are simply deemed as ‘part of the job’. It conveys the power that so few words can have – what is a simple comment from the patient can restore an unimaginable amount of confidence in the doctor who is otherwise not often commended.
As modern healthcare is primarily patient-centred, it is easy to forget that after consultations, the doctors themselves may have residual feelings and, more often than not, do not get clarity from the patient that they feel satisfied with their experience. Therefore, I really appreciate this poem for highlighting the desire that is within medical professionals to actually provide the individual with care and respect, not just the conditions they present with.