Another atopic child came in the office the other day. She had typical dry, scaly skin with a few areas of active dermatitis. She had seen one of my partners, perhaps with a resident at the last visit. For the most part, the active dermatitis component of her condition was under good control. The dryness, however, was persistent.
IMPORTANCE OF CLEAR INSTRUCTIONS
I asked the patient’s mom about the skincare regimen they were using, including their choice of soap. The parent said they were using Ivory soap. She said the previous doctor said to use either Dove or Ivory.
Now that would be an odd thing to suggest. Typically, one might recommend a less drying cleansing product to an atopic, but Ivory wouldn’t normally be at the top of that list. Almost undoubtedly, the doctor said to use “Dove, not Ivory.” But it is quite understandable how a patient could misinterpret what was said.
GOOD COMMUNICATION IS GOOD MEDICINE
One very positive aspect of my own colonoscopy experience was witnessing first-hand the clarity of the instructions. The pretreatment preparation was laid out in perfect detail, and the post-procedure instructions were given with crystal clarity, both to me and my wife. What’s more, every instruction that was given orally was also given in writing. There was little room for error.
Such attention to detail is a hallmark of good medicine. It’s probably a lot easier to do when one is focused on one or two procedures, so that the instructions are the same every time.
It’s probably a lot harder for a medical dermatologist dealing with a couple thousand different diseases and a few hundred different treatments. But there are some resources that can help. The National Psoriasis Foundation has terrific brochures about many of the systemic treatments we use. The American Academy of Dermatology brochures on different diseases are also useful.
THE PHYSICIAN’S RESPONSiBILITY
It’s not good enough to just make the right diagnosis and prescribe the right treatment. Ultimately, it is our responsibility to make sure patients understand and remember what we’re trying to tell them.
Steven R. Feldman, M.D., Ph.D.
Chief Medical Editor
Another atopic child came in the office the other day. She had typical dry, scaly skin with a few areas of active dermatitis. She had seen one of my partners, perhaps with a resident at the last visit. For the most part, the active dermatitis component of her condition was under good control. The dryness, however, was persistent.
IMPORTANCE OF CLEAR INSTRUCTIONS
I asked the patient’s mom about the skincare regimen they were using, including their choice of soap. The parent said they were using Ivory soap. She said the previous doctor said to use either Dove or Ivory.
Now that would be an odd thing to suggest. Typically, one might recommend a less drying cleansing product to an atopic, but Ivory wouldn’t normally be at the top of that list. Almost undoubtedly, the doctor said to use “Dove, not Ivory.” But it is quite understandable how a patient could misinterpret what was said.
GOOD COMMUNICATION IS GOOD MEDICINE
One very positive aspect of my own colonoscopy experience was witnessing first-hand the clarity of the instructions. The pretreatment preparation was laid out in perfect detail, and the post-procedure instructions were given with crystal clarity, both to me and my wife. What’s more, every instruction that was given orally was also given in writing. There was little room for error.
Such attention to detail is a hallmark of good medicine. It’s probably a lot easier to do when one is focused on one or two procedures, so that the instructions are the same every time.
It’s probably a lot harder for a medical dermatologist dealing with a couple thousand different diseases and a few hundred different treatments. But there are some resources that can help. The National Psoriasis Foundation has terrific brochures about many of the systemic treatments we use. The American Academy of Dermatology brochures on different diseases are also useful.
THE PHYSICIAN’S RESPONSiBILITY
It’s not good enough to just make the right diagnosis and prescribe the right treatment. Ultimately, it is our responsibility to make sure patients understand and remember what we’re trying to tell them.
Steven R. Feldman, M.D., Ph.D.
Chief Medical Editor
Another atopic child came in the office the other day. She had typical dry, scaly skin with a few areas of active dermatitis. She had seen one of my partners, perhaps with a resident at the last visit. For the most part, the active dermatitis component of her condition was under good control. The dryness, however, was persistent.
IMPORTANCE OF CLEAR INSTRUCTIONS
I asked the patient’s mom about the skincare regimen they were using, including their choice of soap. The parent said they were using Ivory soap. She said the previous doctor said to use either Dove or Ivory.
Now that would be an odd thing to suggest. Typically, one might recommend a less drying cleansing product to an atopic, but Ivory wouldn’t normally be at the top of that list. Almost undoubtedly, the doctor said to use “Dove, not Ivory.” But it is quite understandable how a patient could misinterpret what was said.
GOOD COMMUNICATION IS GOOD MEDICINE
One very positive aspect of my own colonoscopy experience was witnessing first-hand the clarity of the instructions. The pretreatment preparation was laid out in perfect detail, and the post-procedure instructions were given with crystal clarity, both to me and my wife. What’s more, every instruction that was given orally was also given in writing. There was little room for error.
Such attention to detail is a hallmark of good medicine. It’s probably a lot easier to do when one is focused on one or two procedures, so that the instructions are the same every time.
It’s probably a lot harder for a medical dermatologist dealing with a couple thousand different diseases and a few hundred different treatments. But there are some resources that can help. The National Psoriasis Foundation has terrific brochures about many of the systemic treatments we use. The American Academy of Dermatology brochures on different diseases are also useful.
THE PHYSICIAN’S RESPONSiBILITY
It’s not good enough to just make the right diagnosis and prescribe the right treatment. Ultimately, it is our responsibility to make sure patients understand and remember what we’re trying to tell them.
Steven R. Feldman, M.D., Ph.D.
Chief Medical Editor
