A Doc Who Jots

Part of an article in 1996, by George S. Poehlman M.D., noted: "Always ask your patients about something that is totally nonmedical before closing out the patient encounter. You will ensure that your life's work is made up of more than simply treating disease. You will become an amateur anthropologist on whom people's stories are bestowed. This is what makes men and women of medicine wise."

Doing just that led to a renewed appreciation, by this family physician, for his medical career. It did not add a significant amount of time to an encounter, and he started to briefly record, in a journal, some of the interactions that he felt were worth remembering and documenting.

There are encounters included from the office, as well as from the homes of patients. The first three books, derived from the journal, were entitled "Patients Say the Darndest Things." (BookLocker.com: book #1: 2003, book #2: 2006, book #3: 2009.) He changed the title for this collection. All names (or initials) of the patients have been changed.

He acknowledges that many interactions with patients do not have as pleasant an outcome as is depicted in most of the encounters included in this collection. However, some will illustrate the ability to tease out some unique, uplifting, or funny aspects that arise during many patient encounters, even during a hectic day. As a result, many days of patient care may be much better than they might have been otherwise. A few of the entries are not from patient encounters.

He also included some personal reflections at the end, including a couple sections on how he navigated through grieving and bereavement after the unexpected death of his first wife.

He greatly benefited reading how others dealt with their own loss. He hopes someone might benefit from reading his journey.