Template questions/expressions

 Explaining to a patient why it is important to follow a treatment (take his

medication)

 I can understand why this can be difficult for you.

 I can see why it could be hard for you to follow a strict diet/treatment.
 I can assure you that this treatment is important for your overall health/ for this
particular condition.
 This type of treatment is recommended with good results for people with similar
issues. Without this treatment, your condition could get worse.
 What exactly don’t you like about this treatment?
 Why do you find it difficult to follow?
 Why do you think you should quit this course of action?
 We can make a change in the administration of the treatment.
 I might be able to provide a temporary solution.
 I can arrange a blood test to see if the medication is still necessary, but until then you
shouldn’t stop it.
 It is important to stick to this regime/treatment plan, (so that you don’t pass this
disease to your family)
 I am confident that this type of medication will keep you out of the hospital.
 We are doing this for your own safety
 I understand your discomfort but after a month of consistent treatment we will be able
to reduce or use the drug only when needed.
 For the moment, this medicine is the best for your condition. Not all patients
experience the side effects that are written on the package leaflet. If one of these
occurs, I will ask you to stop the administration immediately and we will think about
changing the medicine.
  I assure you this treatment is in accordance with the guidelines prescribed for this
stage of your condition.
 I have patients in my database who agreed with the operation and after the surgery the
symptoms disappeared completely.
 Let's not make quick decisions and do a set of tests before stopping this treatment /
starting this treatment / changing the medication.

 Typical reassuring formulations

 I would like to assure you that taking this treatment from the beginning/from the early
stage of the condition is veryimportant.
 I can understand your concerns about the diagnosis you have just received.
 I see why/how this would raise some concerns in your mind.
 I can understand that receiving an unexpected diagnosis would be difficult for you.
 You should (always) keep in mind that there are things we can do to
solve/decrease/improve your condition/treatment.
 I think it is really important to remember that your condition is mild/very common.
 I do believe this treatment can be good for you: I’ve had a large number of patients
that used this and they got better.
 I assure you that we will do our best to manage the treatment plan so as to stop the
advancement of your condition.
 I want to assure you that this is a safe and effective treatment.
 I want to reassure you that your treatment is working and your health is improving
every day.
 There is nothing to be overly/too concerned about.
 You should know thatthere are other patients who feel just as unaided, but let's not
forget that you are not alone and it is me and a whole team of specialists who will do
everything possible.
 Please contact me if you experience anything unusual (Good for ending)

 Giving a patient bad news

 I can understand that receiving an unexpected diagnosis is difficult for you.
 I am very sorry to tell you that you have a condition named/called …
 Unfortunately, it is a serious condition/illness that we need to address immediately.
 Fortunately, it is a common/easily treatable condition.
  We should start with a few tests to determine the stage of this condition and to see
how we can prevent … further damage to your skin.
 There are a number of things we need to do.
 Unfortunately, this pathology is contagious, but with great care and caution we can
avoid the transmission.
 Of course you have the option to refuse this treatment, but, from my experience, the
treatment is a safe one and can help you. Please think about it and I will contact you
tomorrow for an answer. I hope it will be a positive one.
 I can see how/why this could be difficult for you to hear, but it is important that
you understand your current condition and what we have to do now.
 I'm sorry to bring this news to you, but, unfortunately, we will have to take/start a
chemotherapy course to stop the evolution of the condition.
 I know this is a difficult/unexpected/severe diagnosis, but I will be with you
throughout the entire treatment so you have my full support.
 You don't have to blame yourself: you were very likely to have this pathology
because the genetic factor is quite important.

 Explaining to a patient why you cannot prescribe a certain medication/order certain

tests etc.
 I can understand why you feel this way, but I would like to remind you that that
treatment has not yet been scientifically tested/is not going to help you heal/is not
suited to be given to children.
 I understand that it is difficult to adjust to this treatment but it will help us treat....
 This medicine may mask the real cause of your condition.
 I understand your discomfort but after a month of consistent treatment we will be able
to reduce or use the drug only when needed.
 First of all, I think we need to consider the side-effects of that treatment.
 This type of medication is not prescribed for your condition because it is highly
addictive/it would not help/it could cause more harm than good/it could make damage
instead of helping.
 What you should know it that, just because it helped your friend, that doesn’t mean
that it would work for you. Each person is different and we each react differently to
medication.
 I see why this treatment would work for your brother/friend, but your condition is
different because you are in the early stages of … Alzheimer’s disease.
  Unfortunately,I cannot prescribe you that treatment because there is no medical
justification for it / because there are no studies showing that this medication could
help you.
 Unfortunately, I will not be able to prescribe this medicine because it is not
appropriate for your condition.
 Please do not misinterpret my intention; it’s just that by prescribing this medicine I do
not want to harm your health.
 As each disease manifests differently in each patient, the same medication will not
necessarily be effective for all patients.

 Check-up/Introductory/After explaining a diagnosisquestions

 Is it ok for you?
 Is everything clear?
 Are you following?/Do you follow?
 Have you ever heard of…?
 Would you like me to tell you more about…?
 Do you have any questions?
 Are there any more questions you would like to ask me?
 Is there anything else I can help you with?
 Is there anything else you would like to ask me?
 Do you think you can follow this plan?
 How do you feel about this?
 What do you think about this?
 Do you need some time to think about all these?

 Empathy
 Sorry to hear about it
 I completely understand your concern(s)
 I’m really sorry
 I can understand what you’re going through
 I see/Sure, that can be difficult/
 You are correct/You are right (to feel like this)
 I can see why you feel like this
 Right…this is (completely) understandable
  It is natural to feel this way
 You are entitled to feel this way

 Prescribing/Suggesting
 I think we should start with taking some blood tests/running some tests
 What I suggest you to do is to increase walking/to cut down on carbs/to seize
smoking
 I advise you to make some changes in your diet/to undergo the surgery
 It’s a good idea to see a surgeon/have a second opinion/ask a surgeon about this
 What would you say if we tried to reduce smoking for the moment?
 What do you say if we try.......


Bullets : possible tasks - my personal “dislike” list

1. To explain a disease - maybe we could come up with some sort of plan -

causes,prognosis,treatment - or practice a few - how can you explain to somebody that he/she
has pneumonia/HBP/DM: The key when explaining a condition to a patient is the use of
common language.
 We use an introductory connector (The first thing you should know), then we mention
whether it is a common/serious condition and then we provide a short and simple
definition of the condition (affects the liver/the body’s ability to process sugar).

The first thing you should know about pneumonia is that it is a common condition
which affects the lungs.

The first thing you should know about diabetes is that it is a (serious) condition
which affects your body’s ability to process sugar.

 Possible causes + symptoms

It is an infectious/genetic/metabolic disease and its main symptoms are/you should

expect: fever/cough/runny nose.
 It can be a genetic disease/it can have a genetic component and is determined by
environment factors. Its main symptoms are extreme thirst and hunger, which makes a
person/one drink more fluids and pass more water.

 Treatment (very short)

Fortunately, it is an easily treatable disease/Unfortunately, it is not an easily treatable

disease.

Fortunately, it can be managed and it is very important to start the treatment at an

early stage.

2. To reassure an anxious parent - missing empathy and understanding of this difficult task
 What you should know about little Matthew
 Fortunately, there is a high possibility that little Matthew will outgrow his
asthma/that the condition will go away in time
 Fortunately, in many cases a condition like this can sort itself out until reaching
adulthood.
 I can assure you that there is nothing to be too concerned about, since this is a
very common childhood disease.
3. To ask a patient what she/he wants to know or if he/she understood something in a more
appropriate manner, without asking “Do you understand” because sometimes it is not suitable
 Do you follow?
 Is everything clear?
 Do you have any questions about/regarding this?
 Do you need additional information?

4. Healthy life style choices - how do I ask him/her to cease smoking, drink less or lose
weight?
 What about your alcohol intake?/ Can you tell me how much do you drink per
week/month?/ Can I ask you about your alcohol habits?
 Can you tell me if you smoke?/ How much/many cigarettes do you smoke every
day?
  I see. Considering your current condition/situation/considering the high possibility
of future complications, I would suggest you to reduce the beer intake
 What would I say if you/we tried to reduce the beer intake?
 Please bear/keep in mind that you shouldn’t eat or drink anything xx hours before
the procedure/test.
 Considering the high possibility of future complications due to weight problems, I
would strongly recommend you to do something to manage this. It would be very
beneficial for improving your condition.
 Another thing that could help you would be to do something to manage your
weight.

5. Angry patient - do I keep it short and sweet ? do I try to explain more ?

 EMPATHY: I completely understand why you feel this way. But…(explanations)

6. How do I answer to a patient’s refusal to do something? (Yes doctor, I really don’t wanna
do that)
 Right. Can you tell me why you don’t want to take this?
 Patient answers, for example: Because I am afraid that…and you continue:
 I completely understand this. But it is very important that I do this/that you
take this because…(considering your family history/your situation).
 I truly believe this could help you.
 Unfortunately, we do not have other options at this stage.

7. How can I make a summary in one sentence?

 BEGINNING OF EACH BULLET OF THE TASK. So, I’ve explained the
diagnosis, we agreed on a treatment and we decided that we will meet tomorrow
for a biopsy. Is there anything else you would like to add?/Is this correct?/Am I
right?

List of connectors
 ORDER: First of all/First, Secondly, Finally
 CONSEQUENCE: As a result/Consequently/Following this
 OPPOSITION: However/But/nonetheless/nevertheless
 LINKING:Overall (=generally), Related to, Considering, Taking into
consideration, Taking into account
 ADDING: In addition, Additionally, Alongside with, even more,
 ENDING: Hence, As a result, therefore, so