A Chart for OET Interview

 Greeting
 Introduce
 Asking about age and job
 Asking about chief compliant
 Present history (how, when, how long, how often…)
in the case of pain these questions will cover:
location, radiation, frequency, onset, duration, character and intensity of pain, trigger factors,
factors that make it better or worse, past experience with pain of this type
 Accompanying symptoms
 Asking about any treatment for the problem in the past
 Other diseases (DM, HTN …) allergies, previous operations
 Asking about smoking and drinking
 Familial history about same problem (medical problems in the family and lifestyle issues
such as family situation and support systems)
 Invite to examination
 Examination (Ask to get ready, explaining what’s going on, finishing) [If you have few
tasks]
 Now that I’ve examined you… Diagnosis
 Asking about patient’s knowledge
 Explain diagnosis and specific interventions (Endoscopy, Laparoscopy …)
 Prescribe, arrange tests, give advice or referral
 Any questions?
 Arrange revisit and ‘If you had any problem don’t hesitate …’
 … ‘your welcome’

What is the setting?

 Is it a known patient or new patient?
 What relevant background details are provided?
o Medical History
o Social History
o Patient Concerns
 What is the patient’s mood?
o anxious
o angry
o in a hurry
o uncooperative
o depressed
o intoxicated
 What do you have to do to complete the roleplay?
o Question
o Explain
o Advise
o Educate
o Reassure
o Persuade
o Justify

Greeting / Introduction
 Good morning
 Good afternoon
 Good evening
 Nice to see you
 Nice to see you again
 My name is Dr. …..
 I’m Dr. …..
 Thanks for coming to see me today. I’m …., one of the doctor at this clinic.
 Pleased to meet you
 Hello ……. Would you like to come in?
 Good morning, Mr……. Please come in.
 How may I address you?
 What should I call you?
 May I have your name please?
 Hello, I am …., the doctor on duty here. How can I help you?
 Hello, my name is …and I’m the doctor looking after you today. Can I start with your
name? (at the hospital)
 Hello good afternoon sir\madam, my name is doctor… I’m the treating doctor for today.
How can I address you?
 Hello good morning sir\madam, my name is doctor… I’m one of the doctors here in this
clinic, how may I address you?
 Hello good morning sir\madam, I am the doctor who'll take care of your daughter during
her hospitalization.
 Good afternoon, nice to meet you again. How are you So far?
 Good afternoon, let me remind you that I am ……, how….?
 Hello good morning sir\madam, thank you for visiting the Clinic once again.
 Hello again, we met last week, didn’t we?
At a medical clinic, health centre, general practice or pharmacy.
 Good morning Madam, I’m Kate your Nurse . What brings you here today?
 Good morning Sir. I’m Kate one of the doctors. Tell me why you've come here.
 Good morning John, please sit down. I’m Kate your dentist. What seems to be the problem?
 Hello Steven, you’re here to have your stiches removed, aren’t you?
 Good morning Patricia, you’ve brought your daughter along I see. What seems to be the
problem?
 Good morning I’m John your pharmacist. How can I help you?
In a hospital ward
 Hello Maria, how are you feeling today?
  Hello John, you are looking better today. How do you feel?

Settling the patient in

 Come in and sit down.
 Come in and have a seat.
 Just have a seat.
 Just take a seat.
 Please take a seat.

Starting interview
o What brings you along here today?
o Come in. What’s the problem?
o What brought you here today?
o What seems to be the trouble?
o What seems to be the problem?
o So how can I help you today?
o What can I do for you?
o What seems to be bothering you?
o How are you today?
o I’ve been telling my colleague here about you.
o I’ve seen the results of the tests but there are just one or two points I’d like you to clarify
for me?
o How may I help you today?
o Can you tell me what brings you here today?
o Do you mind if we start off by getting some background to your condition?
o Erm, just in your own words could you talk me through the reason you’re here
o and how it all started?
o Hello Maria, how are you feeling today?
 o Hello John, you are looking better today. How do you feel?
o Hello Maria, can you tell me what's brought you here today?
o Let me check sir that I touch you well so far, you came here today because …………. Is
that right?

Empathy
 I appreciate your fears
 I appreciate your worries
 I appreciate your concern
 I appreciate your condition
 Oh, I am really sorry to hear that
 it must have been very painful
 it must be stressful for you
 I apologize for that inconvenience. Let me see what I can do for you today.
 I apologize that this happened and I will do my best to fix this situation
 I’m sorry to hear that. I’ll definitely be able to help you with that today.
 I’m so sorry that happened to you.
 I’m sorry to hear that. I can imagine that must be frustrating.
 I can understand that must make you feel upset and we will work toward fixing this
situation for you.
 That’s terrible
 You must be feeling pretty frustrated
 I can understand the times are very difficult, let’s see what we can do for you today.
History:
o can I ask you some questions first if you don’t mind?
o All right Mr. … would you mind if I ask you a few further questions regarding this
situation?

Employment

 What do you do?

 Are you a shift worker?
 How long are your shifts?
 Do you work on weekends?
 Is your job stressful?
 How long have you worked at___________?
 How long have you been unemployed?
Asking about location of the problem
 Where is the sensation?
 Can you tell me where it hurts?
 Where do you feel sore?
 Where does it feel sore?
 Which part of the…….is affected?
 Which part of your body is affected?
 Show me where the pain is?
 Tell me where the pain is?
 Whereabouts was the pain?
 Can you tell me exactly where does it hurt?
 Can you show me exactly Where does it hurt?
 Where is it sore?
 Where’s the pain/discomfort?
 Where exactly is the pain?
 Which part of your (back) is affected the most?
 And where do you feel the pain?
 Can you show me exactly where it is?
 Can you show me where you get the pain?
 Just in the …….?

Asking about start and duration

When did it start?
When did you first feel the pain?
When do you usually get the pain?
When did the problem start?
How long have you had it?
How long have you been feeling like this?
How often has this been occurring?
How long have you been suffering from this problem?
How long have you had this pain/it/them?
How long has it/have they been bothering you?
How long has this been troubling you?
How often do you have the pain/feel the symptom?
How long does it last when you have it?
How long does/did it last?
Have you still got the pain now?
Is it steady or does it come and go?
Did the pain come on suddenly or gradually?”
 Does it occur all of the time or just now and again?

Questioning about onset of complaint /precipitating factors/trigger:

 Any idea about what brought this on?

 Do you know what set it off?
 Do you get pain when you …?
 What started it off, do you think?
 Does it come on at any particular time?
 Can you remember anything that brought it on?
 Can you pinpoint when it started?
 Does anything particular bring it on?
 Does anything seem to bring it on?
 What seems to bring it on?
 Do you have any idea about what might have brought this on?
 Does the discomfort appear to be brought on by anything in particular?

Asking about severity of pain or type of pain/ the nature of the pain:
 Can I get you to describe the character of the pain - or in other words, tell us what does it
like exactly?
 Did it make you double up?
 How bad is/was the pain?
 How severe is/was the pain?
 Would you say it was the worst pain you have ever had?
 How would you rate your pain on a scale of 0 to 10, if 0 is no pain at all and 10 is the
worst pain you can imagine?
 What kind of pain is it?
 When you have this discomfort, what does it feel like?
 Have you ever had anything like this before?
 Does it affect your sleep/work/appetite?
 Does it come and go or is it there all the time?
 Is the pain dull or sharp?
 What is the pain like?
 Could you describe the pain?
 How severe is the pain?
 Does it disturb you at night?
 Does it feel numb?
 Was it like, a tight band or was it more a throbbing pain?
 What does it feel like?
 What kind of pain is it?
  Is it a sharp pain?
 Is it a burning pain?
 Is it a cramping pain?
 Is it a dull sort of pain?
 Is it a mild pain?
 Is it a severe pain?
 Is it a dull ache?
 Is it a nagging pain?
 Is it a pressing pain?
 Is it a shooting pain?
 Is it a stabbing pain?
 Is it a throbbing pain?
 What does the pain feel like? Does it ache? Throb? Burn? Tingle?
 is it like a heavy weight pressing on your chest?
 is it like a tight band around your head?
 Is it like a knife going through you?

Questions about the radiation of pain:

 Does the pain stay in one place or does it move around?

 Does it go anywhere else?
 Is it just there or does it move around?
 Besides your (back), have you had any other pain, say in your (legs)?
 Does it spread to any other parts of your body?
 Does it go anywhere else?

Questioning about relieving or aggravating factors

 Is there anything that seems to relieve it?
 Is there anything that makes it better/worse?
 Does anything special make it better/worse?
 Does anything seem to bring it on or aggravate it?
 Does anything special make it worse?
 Does anything seem to aggravate the problem?
 Is there anything that seems to relieve this?
 What do you do when you get the pain?
 What relieves the pain?
 Does anything make it better or worse?
 What makes it better or worse?
 Have you taken anything for it? And did it help?
To clarify/ to get details:
I am very sorry to hear that. Would you mind if I ask you a few further questions regarding this
situation?
 Have you had any…..?
 Has there been any change in your health since your last visit?
 Have you ever had anything like this before?
 Just tell me a little bit more about it.
 Tell me a bit more about it.
 Tell me what’s been going on.
 Tell me what’s been happening.
 Do you ever get pain at night?
 Did you notice anything before this came on?
 What did you find helped?
 Have you had any other symptoms?
 I just mean if we were to walk what do you think would happen? Do you think you could
keep up with me if I walked fast?
 Ok, when you have this ………, did you notice anything strange about your …….at all?
 Ok, when you have this ………, were you……..?
 Ok, when you have this ………,did you have any……?
 And apart from the pain, have you had any other symptoms?
 Has there been anything else apart from the pain?
 Is there anything else happening at the moment?
 Did any other symptoms begin after the …… began?
 no history of trauma or an accident or an injury at all?
 Is there anything else that is bothering you?

Questioning about medication:

 Have you tried/taken any medication for it?

 Have you taken anything for it?
 Did (the tablets) work?
 Are you on any medication?
 You’re not on any medication, are you?
 Are you taking any kind of medication?
 Are you currently taking any prescribed medications or over-the-counter treatments?
 What medications are you on?
 What medication works the best for you?
 Are you on blood pressure tablets?
 Do you take all your medications regularly?
Specific questions about symptoms and ROS
 And did you feel sick at all? Nauseous?
 Do you have any other symptoms, like nausea or vomiting?
 You’ve mentioned nausea. What about vomiting?
 Did you feel sick at all?
 Have you opened your bowels today?
 Do you require an enema or some sort of laxative?

Blood
What is your blood group?
Are you rhesus (Rh) positive or negative?
How much blood loss has he sustained?
How long have you had the bleeding?
Do you faint at the sight of blood?
Can you donate some blood to the blood bank?
What is your blood sugar level?

7. Rash
How long have you had the rash for?
Is the rash itchy or irritating or painful?
Is the rash a sign of an allergic reaction?
Does it look like a heat rash?
Does your baby get nappy rash often?
Do you know what may have caused the rash?
Is the rash linked to something you ate?
Have you ever had a rash like this before?
Where on your body is the rash?
Have you noticed any rashes or other changes to your skin recently?”
Have you noticed any changes to your nails recently?
8. Infection
Do you need some antibiotics for the infection?
How long have you had the infection for?
Is this disease contagious?
How does the virus spread?
What is the best treatment for this infection?
Do you have a temperature?
9. Injury (sprain/burn/fracture)
How did you sprain your ankle?
How much of your body was burned?
How did you injure yourself?
What caused the fracture?
Can you elevate your leg for two hours every day?
Would you like a cold pack for the swelling?
10. Breathing
Is it hard to breathe?
When do you have difficulty breathing?
Can you take some deep breaths for me please?
Can you hold your breath for a couple of minutes while we take the Xray?
Do you have trouble with snoring at night?
Do you need to take sleeping tablets?
11. Diet
What do you usually have for breakfast?
Do you have plenty of fibre in your diet?
Do you have healthy eating habits?
Do you need to go on a diet to lose weight?
What type of foods do you prefer to eat?
Do you have any food allergies?
12. Weight
Has your weight changed recently?
What is your usual weight in kilos?
Do you have trouble maintaining your weight?
Do you feel pressured to be thin?
What is your ideal weight?
13. Exercise
How often do you exercise?
What is your favourite form of exercise?
What is the most comfortable exercise for you?
 Do you get regular exercise?
 Have you felt dizzy at any time?
 Have you experienced any difficulty in breathing?
 Any problems with your waterworks?
 What about your bowels?
 What about your bowel habits? Have they changed at all?
 What about your breathing when you get the pain?
 Did you have a fever?
 Have you had a fever?
 Did you notice anything strange about your speech?
 And you had no weakness on any side of your body?
 Was your vision affected in any way before the headache began?
 Did you see any spots or flashing lights?
 What about the eye on that side? Did it water?
 Any nasal discharge or stuffiness on that side?
 Any diarrhea?
 Your appetite’s OK?
 Is your appetite OK?
 What about appetite? Have you been eating well?
 What were you drinking?
 Did you eat anything out of the ordinary?
 Did you have anything out of the ordinary to eat?
 You’ve still got the headache now?
 There was no weakness on any side of your body?
 just on one side of your head?
 You haven’t lost any weight or anything?
 Are you ever short of breath?
 Have you coughed up any blood?
 Do you have any problems passing urine?
 Do you have excessive pain or bleeding with your periods?
 Do you get short of breath when you exercise?
 Have you had any pain in your chest, neck or arm?
 Have you had diarrhea or are you constipated at all?
 Are you under any stress?
 During the past month have you felt low, depressed or hopeless?
 Have you recently had little interest or pleasure in doing things?
 Have you noticed any recent skin changes, such as tightening, thickening or the formation of lumps
in the skin?”
 “Do you notice that your fingertips change colour, particularly in the cold or during stress?”
 “Do you ever find it difficult to swallow food or drink fluids?”
 “Does it ever feel like food gets stuck in your gullet?”
 “Have you noticed any new blood vessels becoming visible on the skin or your palms or face?”
 Have you recently experienced any fevers or weight loss?”
 “Do you have any aching in any of your joints or muscles?”
 “Have you noticed any rashes or skin changes recently?”
 “Have you noticed any blood or other changes in your urine?”
 “Have you noticed any changes in your thoughts or mood?”
 “Have you felt more short of breath recently?”
 “Have you experienced any chest pain recently?”
 “Have you felt more fatigued or found that you are bruising more easily recently?”
 Have you experienced dry or sore eyes recently?”
 “Have you noticed that your mouth is drier than usual recently, even when well hydrated?”
 “Have you had a cough recently?”
 Have you noticed any unintentional weight loss recently?”
 “Have you experienced any night sweats recently?”
 “Have you noticed any change in your appetite?”
 “Have you felt more tired recently?”
 Have you noticed any swelling of your joints recently?”
 “Which joints have become swollen and when did that start?”
 “Is the joint swelling painful?”
 “Does the joint swelling impact your daily activities?”
 “Have you noticed any associated redness of skin overlying the swollen joints?”

Anxiety
What makes you anxious?
Have you tried a sedative to help calm you down?
Are you anxious often?
Does your anxiety cause you to become depressed?
Does your anxiety cause you to avoid social situations?
Did you have an anxiety attack?
Are you feeling anxious about the operation?
Do you have any chest pain?
19. Wounds
Have you had any discharge from the wound?
How long has the wound been inflamed for?
Do you have any redness or puffiness around the wound site?
Is the dressing still intact?
Does the skin around the incision site feel hot to touch?
How long do the sutures need to stay in for?
Have you had any oozing of pus from the wound?

 What colour is the discharge from the wound?

Questioning about previous health/past history:

 Have you ever had pneumonia or TB?
 Have you ever had a urinary tract infection?
 Have you ever had rheumatic fever or a heart attack?
 Do you suffer from indigestion?
 Have you ever had hepatitis, peptic ulcers or bowel cancer?
 Have you ever been admitted to hospital?
 Have you ever been in hospital?
 Have you ever had surgery?
 Have you ever previously undergone any operations or procedures?
 When was the operation/procedure and why was it performed?
 What operations have you had?
 Did you have any complications with your last surgery?
 How many anesthetics have you had?
 well, you mentioned that you have had this condition for a few years, could you tell me
about the mediation you have been taking?
 Do you have any medical conditions?”
 Are you currently seeing a doctor or specialist regularly?
 Have you ever suffered from chest pain before?
 Do you have any known allergies?
 Have you been vaccinated against tetanus and typhoid fever?
  Are you up to date with your vaccinations?
 How long have you had high blood pressure?
 Have you ever had bowel cancer?
 When was your last colonoscopy?
 Do you suffer from Crohn’s disease?


Questioning about family history:

 Does anyone else in your family suffer from this problem?

 Are your parents alive and well?
 What did he/she die of?
 How old was he/she?
 Is there any family history of…./.….. trouble?
 Is there any auto immune disease in your family?
 Do you have any inherited medical conditions?
 Do you or any of your family suffer from high blood pressure, heart disease or diabetes?

Questioning about social history:

 Do you smoke every day?
 Do you drink every day?
 Are you married?
 How many children do you have?
 Do you live alone?
 Do you have any siblings?
 How often do you drink alcohol?”
 How much do you drink in an average week?”
 What kind of alcoholic drinks do you drink?”
 Where do you drink?”
 Who do you drink with?”
 I’m going to ask some general questions about your alcohol use and how it affects you
(CAGE introduction)
 Have you ever felt that you should Cut down on your drinking? CAGE
 Have people Annoyed you by criticising your drinking? CAGE
 Have you ever felt bad or Guilty about your drinking? CAGE
 Have you ever had a drink first thing in the morning to steady your nerves or get rid of a
hangover (known as an Eye-opener)? CAGE
  Now I am going to ask you some questions about your use of alcoholic drinks during this
past year
 How often do you have a drink containing alcohol?
 How many units of alcohol do you drink on a typical day when you are drinking?
 How often have you had 6 or more units if female, or 8 or more if male, on a single
occasion in the last year?

Alcohol
How many standard drinks do you consume per week?
Do you have any alcohol related problems in your family?
Do you drink alcohol?
Is there a history of alcoholism in your family?
Was alcohol the cause of this accident?
Have you had a liver function test before?
15. Smoking
At what age did you start smoking?
How long have you smoked for?
How many cigarettes do you smoke a day?
Have you tried to give up smoking?
Are you a heavy smoker?

 Do you smoke socially?

Check understanding
 Is that clear?
 Can you do that?
 Do you have any questions?
 Have you ever heard of….?
 What do you know about …?
 How much do you know about …?
 Do you know anything about this condition?
 Have you heard anything about this condition?

Sensitive question
 Can I ask you ……., is everything OK? At home, at work?
 Do you have any other difficulties?
 Have you had any thoughts of hurting yourself?”
 Have you ever thought of ending your life?”
 Do you ever have thoughts of harming others?”
Diagnosis:

Well, based on your symptoms and after examination, I believe that you have what is
called …. , and let me explain ….
you are suffering from a condition known as … have you ever hear of that
the xray indicates that you have …..
the tests show that it is probably a condition known as ….. and let me explain….
I think you’ve got a condition called……. It’s a long way of saying you’ve got an …

certain:
What we’re looking at is …
What you’ve got is …
Well, what you’ve got is a condition called …
I feel certain you have …
We can rule out/exclude …
It definitely isn’t …
fairly certain: positive
(I think, It seems, probably, likely)
You probably have …
I think we’re looking at …
It seems we’re looking at …
It seems you might have …
It’s likely that you have …
It seems likely that you have …
I believe you have …

fairly certain: negative

(I don’t think, unlikely)
I don’t think …
It’s unlikely to be …
It’s unlikely that you have …

less certain:
(might, could, may, possibly, possibility)
You might have …
It’s possible that you have …
… is a possibility.

providing an orientation
 This is a Common condition
 This is a relatively common condition
  This is a very rare condition
 This is a long-term condition
 This is an unusual condition
 It’s quite common.
 It’s quite unusual
 It’s quite rare.
 It’s fairly common.
 It’s fairly unusual
 It’s fairly rare.
 There’s often a pattern in families.
 It tends to run in families
 It tends to affect young people.
 It tends to affect women after menopause.
 It might happen again

explaining the condition and its causes

 let me explain in detail

 allow me to explain in detail
 It is basically …
 It’s due to …
 It’s called … and we think it’s due to…
 It’s caused by …
 The cause of your problem is …
 It is a condition caused by …. The symptoms include ….. the best treatment is ….

explaining the process

 What it does is …
 What happens is …
 What has happened is …
 This condition affects …
 There are well-recognized triggers …
 The infection may spread to other parts of the body

relating diagnosis to patient’s symptoms

 And that’s why you are getting …

 you are experiencing …
 you are feeling …
supplying reading matter

 Here is a pamphlet about … that explains it very clearly.

 I’ll give you something to read which will help you …

exploring contraindications

 Are you allergic to anything?

 Have you ever had a bad reaction to …?

Breaking bad news

 June, we have the test results back and I’m sorry to tell you that the cause of your
symptoms could be more serious than you think and that is a risk that ….
 I realize that this come as a shock to you (pause)

 It is a very important that we do a few further investigations including

 Fortunately, we caught it early and there are some treatment options such as
chemotherapy.

 We will keep a close on you and be sure you are in very good hands.

 It may be a good idea to talk to someone about this. Do you have any relative or close
friend who can help you and provide support?

 Hello sir/ma`am, thank you for visiting the clinic once again. I know that you have been
waiting for the results of the (test). However, before telling you what the (test) had
revealed, I would like to tell you that life sometimes puts us in serious situations, but we
have to be strong enough to face such difficulties. Sir/Ma`am, the unfortunate truth that
we have is that you are suffering from ………

 Sometimes life is difficult, full of ups and downs, but we have to be strong enough in
order to face such difficulties. Sir, the results of your tests revealed that, unfortunately,
you have a …..
 The word cancer might sound scary to you and to many people. But we are lucky enough
as we discovered it in an early stage. Consequently, through a simple operation the tumor
will be completely removed.
 Chemo and radiotherapy will not be determined neither by me nor now, this is the role of
the oncologist. According to the tumor extension, he will determine whether we will use
chemo therapy or not.
  I would like to stress on that we are all here in the clinic to help and support you and to
give you a hand at any time.

 (Not convinced with the results): Sir/Ma`am, we are here at this clinic to provide our
patients with precise and correct information, this is because all of our team members are
highly trained and professionals. If we are not confident with these results, we would not
reveal them to you.

Prescribing: test, medicine, treatment

 I think we would start with
 I see that must be a very difficult situation for you but the good news is
 that there several options available which will help you. Would you like to hear more
about that?
 You will need to take one tablet twice a day.
 There are some very effective strategies to cope with ……, I would like to explain them
for you
 First of all …… it is also important to // necessary to …..
 It is a good time to start …. , in terms of ……. , it will be necessary for you to ……
 I will give you a prescription for
 This will take the pain away and …
 Take one tablet in the morning/evening.
 Always take it with food to avoid stomach problems.
 I will give you a referral for
 I’ll write a referral letter to
 I’m going ask you to fill a prescription for
 We’ll run some tests to see
 When are you seeing the specialist?
 So, what we need to do now is …
 We have various options.
 There is a lot we can do to help.
 There are various steps we can take to manage the condition.
 I will discuss the treatment options now.
 I will tell you about the treatment options now.
 At this stage, I recommend taking your medication regularly.
 Well, at the moment, we’re going to give you antibiotics and fluids but there is a small
risk of the infection returning in the future.

explaining the need for further tests:

 o I’m not quite sure at the moment so we need to do some more tests to find out exactly
what’s going on.

warning about risks:

 Don’t drink alcohol while you are on the medication.

 Don’t drive while you are on the medication.
 Don’t use machines while you are on the medication.

letting patient know what to expect:

You will/may need to take a week off work.

You may experience some nausea.
It will be some time before you can get back to work.
We may find we have to operate … but we’ll see how things go.

informing patient of danger signs:

There are a number of things we need to look out for.

If you notice any …, then I’d like you to call me immediately
If you experience any …, then I’d like you to go to the hospital.
If you notice any …, then I’d like you to call an ambulance straight away.

Advising/suggesting:
o What I think we’ll do
o What I suggest you do
o It is worth while
o It is important that......
o I suggest that.....
o If you like, I could....
o The most important thing is......
o My advice is that .....
o I advise that
o What I would like you to do is.....
o Why not…..
o We could make a time to follow up on that
o First of all …
 o as I said before
o as I told you earlier …
o I’m concerned about your ………. It is important to/ necessary to stop …….
o I have to highlight/ emphasize the importance of … .it is very beneficial for you …
o I recommend that
o I strongly advice that you should …….
o that is a good question and let me explain to you that …
o It is a good idea to …
o it’s a good idea that
o another thing I would like you to do is to be careful about…..
o How about trying cutting down on the number of cigarettes you’re smoking?
o Why don’t you get a little more rest each day?
o Why don’t you try some exercise each day?
o What about visiting you each day and check up on your progress?
o Maybe you ought to ..
o Perhaps you should slow down a bit.
o It might be a good idea to…
o How about joining a social club?
o I see, that must be a very difficult situation for you. But the good news is, that there
several options available which will help you. Would you like to hear more about that?
o What I’d like to do now is discuss how we will manage/treat your condition.
o What we need to do is …
o There are a number of things we can do.
o There are a number of options open to us.
o There are a number of ways we can go. First of all …
o We’ll try to solve the problem first of all with …
o You must modify your diet.
o You must rest.
o You’ll have to cut down on alcohol.
o You’ll have to stop smoking.
o These are excellent ideas. You might also like to think about …
o Many people think that … helps. Is that something you would like to try?
o Many people think that … helps. Is that something that might work for you?

eliciting patient’s ideas

o How do you think you could reduce your alcohol consumption?

o It’s important to think of ways to reduce the amount of stress in your life. What do you
think you could do?
referring patient to specialists and community resources
o I’d like to refer you to someone who is a specialist in the field.
o There are a number of people who can work with us to help us manage your condition.
I’d like you to see …
o And there is a support group I’d like you to contact

Reluctant Patient
o I’m really appreciate your concern
o I can understand your worries
o I know how you feel but let me …
o I completely understand your busy time, but your health is my priority,
o what is more important your health or your job? So I think you must find
o some time to … visit a specialist
o who is more important the risk of …..Or your business.
o Let me assure you, if you follow my advice the risk of ……. Will be greatly reduced;
however, if you do not follow my advice and continue to ……..then the risk of ……. is
much higher. you don’t want that to happen, do you?
o Let me explain to you why …….. is necessary for you.
o Of course you will need to continue …. ; However, I don’t think …. Will be helpful in
your situation. I would prefer alternatives. I understand … but let me explain to you why
it is not a good choice for you to …
o I’m pleased to hear that. Now…..
o The early intervention will enable us to have a better outcome.
o Your health is my priority, I am here to support you and help you, so you should listen to
my advice.
o Paving the way to your children will allow them to accept such truth peacefully and not
to be shocked with the diagnosis later on.
o That is the reason why.....
o For this reason......

Explaining Consequences

 It is better that you stay in hospital so that if there is a change in your condition, we can
give you immediate care and help you avoid any future complications.

 If you take sleeping tablets for a long period, you may become addicted to the medication
and on top of that using sleeping tablets is only a short-term solution, and for a long-term
solution, you may need to make some lifestyle changes. Do you think you can do that?
  It is a common and potentially serious disorder, and if left untreated can lead to further
complications such as…………

 If you don't follow my advice, you may need to stay in hospital longer. You don't want
that to happen, do you?

 If you don't follow my advice, the infection could get worse and then you may need to be
hospitalized. You wouldn't like that, would you?

 If the wound is left untreated, the infection will get worse and spread to other parts of the
body.

 It is really important that you stay in hospital so that we can complete our investigations.
If you go home now, there is a risk that you could have a stroke or heart attack. That is
why I am asking you to stay in hospital, so that we can monitor your condition and bring
your blood pressure back to normal levels.

 If you stop taking your medication, then you run the risk of having another heart attack.
 The best advice is to get plenty of rest. If you go back to work too soon, then you may not
make a full recovery and your condition could get worse. You don't want that to happen,
do you?

 If you leave the cavities and tartar without treatment, the condition will get worse and
become painful. The earlier you receive treatment, the less painful and less expensive the
treatment becomes. So, it is beneficial for you to visit a dental clinic regularly to get
regular check-ups and teeth cleaning. Can you do that?

 If the abscess is left untreated, the infection might spread to the adjacent organs through
tissue spaces. Sometimes it can lead to life-threatening conditions such as airway
obstruction, brain abscess and chest infection. So, I strongly advise that you have urgent
treatment of the tooth such as root canal therapy or tooth extraction with antibiotic
medication

 If you use your current denture without adjustment, it will continue to irritate the gum
and bone, leading to serious problems like persistent ulcer and infection of the bone.
Moreover, because you can’t bite or chew foods properly, you could have problems with
your digestive system such as stomach irritation. Now, you don't want that to happen, do
you?

Explaining Risks
o It is a common condition and it is treatable and with the right treatment we can reduce the
risk of any serious complications and your son will make a complete recovery.
 o It is not as serious as you might think and I can tell you, the risk of developing any
further complications is quite low

o Firstly, if you stay in hospital for further observations and treatment, then risk of further
complications will be minimized and you will be able to make a full recovery and…

o I have to say, the chances of having a severe allergic reaction to these vaccinations are
extremely rare. While mild side effects such as redness around the injection site or mild
fever are not unusual, more severe reactions occur at a rate of less than 1 in 10,000 so
there really is no need to be concerned. And of course the benefits far outweigh these
risks. For example, your child will protected against the common diseases of childhood,
including measles, mumps and rubella, as well as the potentially life threatening
consequences which can occur.

Reassurance
 I can understand your concern, but
 I’m sure you won’t have any more trouble
 Don’t worry, it’ll go away by itself
 Don’t worry, it’ll go away in a few days
 Don’t worry, it’ll go away with some rest
 Rest assured, this is quite a common
 There is nothing to be overly concern about
 Let me reassure you that eczema is self-limited
 It is nothing to get alarmed about…
 It’s very important for you at this time not to worry.
 Do not worry it will go away by itself in a few days with some rest.
 I know it sounds difficult at first but with practice, I am sure you will be able to ….
 Don’t worry, if you can follow my advice, you will get much better soon.
 Don’t worry, everything will settle down in a few days. These symptoms are very normal
for this virus.
 It’s not serious. It will pass.
 This is something we can cure.
 We can certainly cure this condition.
 It’s not a serious condition and it’s easy to treat.
 This is quite a common condition and we can treat it effectively.
 It’s a long-term condition but we can manage it well.
 Try not to worry. I’m sure he will feel better once we get his/her temperature down.
 Try not to worry too much, your BP is normal and as long as you stay on the medication,
you’ll be fine.
 Honestly, I am sure you don’t have any more trouble
 Honestly, I’m sure you’ll feel better in a few days.
 There’s really no need to worry.
 There’s really nothing to worry about.
  There’s really no reason to be worried.
 There’s really no cause for concern.
 The more rest and relaxation you have, the better you will feel.
 The staff here are very experienced and will take good care of you.
 And again, I just want to emphasize the point that you don’t need to be worried
 Although we cannot cure this condition, there are many things we can do to manage it.
 This is a serious condition and we will need to admit you to hospital, but you will be in
very good hands.
 Now, I understand how you feel. you are worried about …… and whether you can
manage, but let me reassure, we can provide good quality ….. and there are a range of
professional services available. Would you like me to tell you more about that?
 I can see that you are worried, but try to not be too concerned as this condition can be
managed with medication and rest.
 I totally understand how you might feel, but let me reassure, this condition is not as
serious as you might think.
 Let me assure you....
 Let me reassure you that.....
 As long as you.....
 Try not to worry too much.
 It is nothing to get alarmed about.

Feedback/respond to patient question

 Were there any other questions?
 Does it sound ok?
 Does it an acceptable plan?
 Is that clear
 Am I clear so far?
 How does that sound
 Am I clear till now?
 Do you think you can do that?
 Do you feel comfortable about my advice?
 Do you have any question so far?
 would you like me to tell you more about that?
 Is that okay?
 Do you have any questions?
 Do you have any other questions?
 Is there anything else you’d like to ask?
 Alright, well….
 Ok, now…
 OK
  I see
 Mm,
 Right
 Oh,
 Uh huh,
 Really
 Would you mind if I.......
 Is it okay if.....

exploring feelings and attitudes

 This must come as a relief to you.
 This must be a shock for you.
 How do you feel about all this?
 What’s worrying you most about all this?
 Is there anything bothering/troubling you about this?

Summarising
Let me go over again what we have talked about today
To summarise.....

making follow-up arrangements

 Now I’d like to see you after you’ve been for your tests.
 I want to see you in two weeks’ time/later.
 And in the meantime, just ring me if anything is worrying you at all.
 If you run into any problems, I want you to call and come to see me.
 So, I’ll see you in a few days.
 So, I’ll see you in 6 weeks’ time.
 So, I’ll see you after you’ve had the tests.
 So, I’ll see you after you’ve seen the specialist.
 So, make an appointment and I’ll see you then.

Leave talking
Pleasure to meet you
Nice to meet you
Let’s leave it there
All the best
We’ll see you next time
We’ll see you soon
Thanks very much for coming to see me
Bye Bye
Goodbye for now