Burnout, difficult patients, and the question that changes both

Most patients called difficult have a reason nobody has asked about. Every chart carries labels, and the labels rarely carry the person. Stella Awua-Larbi is a nephrologist who has practiced in the Chicago suburbs for more than 15 years. This episode is based on her article "The person behind the diagnosis every chart hides," published on KevinMD. You will hear how one young patient, labeled noncompliant and difficult, changed the way she reads a chart, and why a patient days out from surgery refused to walk the hallway. You will hear why she treats social history as seriously as the history of present illness, and how asking why usually takes no extra time at all. You will also hear why she separates ordinary fatigue from disliking the work you do. Press play for the two questions she asks when a patient is labeled noncompliant, and what patients say when someone finally asks.

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