Anonymous: What The Doctor Said
He said it doesn't look good
he said it looks bad in fact real bad
he said I counted thirty-two of them on one lung before
I quit counting them
I said I'm glad I wouldn't want to know
about any more being there than that
he said are you a religious man do you kneel down
in forest groves and let yourself ask for help
when you come to a waterfall
mist blowing against your face and arms
do you stop and ask for understanding at those moments
I said not yet but I intend to start today
he said I'm real sorry he said
I wish I had some other kind of news to give you
I said Amen and he said something else
I didn't catch and not knowing what else to do
and not wanting him to have to repeat it
and me to have to fully digest it
I just looked at him
for a minute and he looked back it was then
I jumped up and shook hands with this man who'd just given me
something no one else on earth had ever given me
I may have even thanked him habit being so strong
Discussion Questions
What did the doctor say?
What did the patient hear?
How does this poem illustrate the potential for miscommunication or incomplete communication during patient-physician interactions?
What role do the humanities have in teaching us about patient-physician communication?
Reflections from #MedHumChat
“Unclear prognosis ("not good, bad, in fact real bad"), unhelpful diversionary fact ("I counted 32 before"), little real offer of help ("are you a religious man; I wish I had some other kind of news to give you").” —@alinasato
“Bad news, fractured sentences, fractured meanings. The patient doesn't want to know all of the details. 32 [what?] in one lung bef he quit counting them. There are more, perhaps many more. Just in one lung? Then word to comfort, which take up most of the lines.” —@mcshannon17
“There has always existed a power diffential between doctors and pts. I worry it makes people like this pt afraid to ask questions or to repeat things. Combined with possible language and health literacy challenges, it can cause problems.” —@alisonyarpmd
About this #MedHumChat
“What the Doctor Said” was paired with “Left Boob Gone Rogue” by Uzma Yunas for a #MedHumChat on November 9, 2021 discussing Patient-Physician Communication.
The pieces for this chat as well as the accompanying discussion questions were curated by Jennifer Caputo-Seidler (@jennifermcaputo) as a special collaboration with The Examined Life (@ExaminedLife_UI) which featured live audience participation.
About the Author
This piece is by an anonymous author.