Summary of the Case Study File
introduction
Illness and diseases are part and parcel of humanity since time immemorial. In each age, there has always been a way of dealing with the most common disease at that particular time. Trial and error have been the most common methods that were used in the traditional ways. The results also formed the basis in which the doctors could concentrate their studies to come up with better drugs. The trend is not way different from the modern days. The changes are that there have come up sophisticated technologies that have facilitated research and the production of medicinal drugs in large quantities (Hopkins et al. 2007). It is also notable that there have come many other ways of dealing with some of the common and newly discovered ailments like the consultative measures. The basis of Family Medicine is based on a consultative approach between the health expert and the patient. It also encompasses the varied aspects of psychoanalysis for a possible prediction of the cause of the disease.
There is a significant difference between the healthcare one would receive in a hospital environment and when employing the concept of Family Medicine (Chrrishtakish & Iwashina, 2003). The contrast will enable the researcher to acquire the right perception of the illnesses in the community and the ways to deal with them. With the aid and a significant overview of the findings from the field attachment, the paper takes a cognitive overview of my personal analysis and reflections as per the following objectives. One is holistic medicine and family medicine. Also, the paper will highlight the patient’s perception of the illness experience. I will give my personal account on the level of exposure to the varied clinical skills gained during the attachment period. Lastly, my interaction with the patient and the family doctor will enable me to draft a management plan.
Family practice is a cognitive health care system that cuts across for all categories of ages (Lynn & Adamson, 2003). The health professional, in this case, is named as the family doctor. Doctor Herman was the family physician for the patient in my case. A closer analysis made me aware that the role of the health professional in Khan’s case was to emphasize disease prevention and health promotion. He based some his ideologies of the family background and the community of the patient. It is the same principle that is embodied in the aim of the World Organization of Family Doctors. On a broader approach, the family doctors are meant to deliver a variety of acute, chronic, and preventive health care services (Hillestad et al. 2005). They have the obligation of providing a routine check up to the patient on top of diagnosing and treating the ailments. They do screening and sampled tests to ascertain the results of the presented case. On a regular basis, they do hold talks with the patients. Good communication skills are always required for the success of Family Medicine (Levetown, 2008). I was keen enough to note that the patient did not allow his emotions and painful feelings have the better part of him as he addressed the doctor. He clearly in details explained every aspect of his discomfort. On the other hand, Doctor Herman employed magnificent communication skills so as to get the most relevant information from the patient. He never rushed into conclusion thereby denying Mr. Khan an opportunity to talk. Studies have found out that health experts who cut their clients in the middle of a dialogue miss out a lot of information that would deem exquisite for the treatment of the disease (Yankellovich, 2001).
Patient’s Perception of the Illness Experience.
As suggested earlier, the patient had a significant amount of pain throughout the body. The recent ailment just began three weeks before. The family doctor affirmed that the disease was seasonal on came in on and off pattern. He quit smoking a long time ago hoping that he would help salvage the situation. Because the condition persists, the patient affirms that it might be a hereditary problem. It would be out of fear that he thinks in that direction. The father who died of coronary artery disease might entirely have nothing to do with his present ailment. The Doctor on the other side has been very efficient in conducting tests and giving feedback to the patient. Many scholars do argue that illness overcomes the body because of weakness in the mind (Lupton, 2012)
. The persistent belief that his complications are hereditary puts him in a worse condition of stigma and spiritual downfall. Doctor Herman has therefore been at the forefront in advising the patient to take courage. His most recent test results have proven that the condition is not hereditary. I imagine that such statements are a stepping stone for the quick recovery of the patient. In the normal system, somebody might come with a good news besides my deathbed, telling me I landed in some fortunes or a cure has been finally found. Such news might make my spirit jump up with new energy. The smile on my face would prolong my life. Mr. Khan gets a new life every time he is assured that he is going to do well. At the times he is not in pain, he gets to do some light exercises so as to help him keep fit as advice by the doctor.
Clinical Skills.
The duration for my attachment was enough for me to gather quite a lot of clinical experience that would be worth in my practice of medicine. It was, as a result, my interaction with the medical expert and the patient himself. One, I learned the skill of taking signs. I approve the fact as an exquisite medical skill. A Doctor can easily draw many facts before the patient completely expresses him or herself. Health professionals should not underestimate the fact that the patient should not get objected in the middle of a conversation in diagnostic cases. From Mr. Khan’s failure to freely move his arms, I noticed that the problem might be due to the inability to bend the tie laces. Secondly, I learned the skill of administering injections. The patient had some drugs that had to be injected daily. The doctor was very swift and timely when it comes to injections. I learned that there were only specific muscles of the hip that need to be injected as minute errors would lead to an unfortunate case of paralysis. Though it looked scary, I managed to get along well.
I learned the importance of continued care and record keeping. Record keeping entailed having all the drug history of the patient at hand (Coutre, 1994). The doctor also prepared a list of all the appointments they have had with the customer and the results of the dialogue in each case. It helped the doctor note all the changes that occurred in the patient, thereby directing him or her for a better course of action. The doctor was not living with the family at all the time. The two parties would occasionally book appointments and have time for each other. Scheduling for an appointment needs great preparedness from the two parties. The patient needs to be in a fairly stable condition. Khan would wait for the pain to ease a little before he would access the doctor. It was meant so that he does not give erroneous results at the time of dialogue.
Interaction with the patient and the family doctor.
I came to learn that home-based health care has more fruitful results than the usual hospitalization. Mr. Khan has his family as the biggest inspiration in life. Because of the care and support of his family members, he is always jovial with the doctor. The doctor himself is a constant reminder to the family that everything is on the right track. Dr. Herman is always available to give the patient the most recent and appropriate medicinal drugs. I got to understand that family medicine obliges the health expert to give adequate information to the family members on the better methods of handling the patient (Himmel et al. 2005) Just like the Alzheimer’s patient, the input of the caregiver and the family members, is a great determinant for a healthy progress in the patient’s life.
A Plan for the Course of Action.
Initially, the doctor had an agreement with the patient that he would be coming once a month to carry out all the clinical activities. Due to the recent complications manifested in the patient’s health, I find it necessary that the two parties adopt a new working plan. The objective of the plan is to build up a medical practice that surpasses the patient’s expectations thus giving Mr. Khan more courage. Because of the common and more pronounced complications, Dr. Herman has to increase the number of visits from one to two in a month. The diagnosis process should be more detailed and more involving. The doctor should conduct a thorough analysis of all tests in the lab so as to hand the patient with accurate medication.
The patient’s distress and suffering are probably due to old age and the lifelong effects of smoking cigarettes. The doctor should devise a plan that enables the patient to engage in regular exercises (Luff & Greatbach, 1992). In the morning, Mr. Khan should go for a walk in the compound. He should also jog a little and do stretch exercises that are not strenuous to the muscles. In a summary, Family Medicine is the way to go in the modern health care system. If properly enforced, it is a cost effective way of providing personalized health services to individuals who would otherwise find a hard time recovering in the hospital.
References.
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Himmel, W., Meyer, J., Kochen, M. M., & Michelmann, H. W. (2005). Information needs and visitors' experience of an Internet expert forum on infertility. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 7(2), e20.
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Luff, P., Heath, C., & Greatbatch, D. (1992, December). Tasks-in-interaction: paper and screen based documentation in collaborative activity. In Proceedings of the 1992 ACM conference on Computer-supported cooperative work (pp. 163-170). ACM.
Lupton, D. (2012). Medicine as culture: Illness, disease and the body. Sage.
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