The Power of the Human Touch

What is necessary or unnecessary when it comes to evaluation and diagnosis?   The initial interview portion of each assessment, taking patient history, hearing about what symptoms they have is a powerful tool. Listening to the parent of a child describe their concerns and why is a piece of knowledge that can not be overlooked. 

The truth is that I can usually be fairly accurate is judging the nature and severity of disorder or even the presence or absence of disorder just through the case history or interview process. I might not have had this ability right out of school but there is consistencies that you learn along the way over time. Really listening to the patient and their families is a skill but asking the right questions is also a skill that one needs to develop in order to facilitate good clinical analysis. The truth is that your family doctor can often assess your needs based on symptoms. So the question becomes, why bother with the hands on component of assessment?

I have a cousin who is rather brilliant and as a result was predestined for medical school out of undergrad. This student was brilliant and capable when it came to the book work but when it came time for his first clinical placement something happened. This young man came to the realization that he found it exceedingly difficult to make a personal touch based connection with those he did not know.  He simply could not touch those with whom he was unfamiliar.   Biomedical engineering was a much better fit for this individual.

The reason I bring this up is because we as humans need that personal connection in order to develop confidence in the process of assessment. One needs the Doctor of Audiology to look in their ears when assessing their hearing. One needs the Medical Doctor to look in their throat when assessing their sore throat. I was told by a medical Doctor some time ago that indeed they were taught in medical school the necessity of touch in the process of evaluation.

We look for personal connection with those that "take care of us". Certainly "touch" has power but so has the way we "touch" each other through personal communication, by listening to each other, by finding out about who the patient is. There is amazing power conveyed through "touch".