Patient Portfolio, Interview Example

Preparation

This student has a 66 year old aunt who has severe arthritic degeneration of her lower back. Since her condition is well known amongst our family and friends, since she talks about it openly, and since she and this student are fairly close, I told her of the patient interview project that I had to do and asked her if she would be willing to be my patient for the purpose of this assignment: She readily agreed. I explained to her that part of my assignment involved having the interview take place at a location that basically had only a table and a couple of chairs and complete privacy. One of my uncles helped out with that saying that he was on duty at a recreation centre this coming Saturday at which time there were no classes scheduled in the small lecture rooms and he would be able to unlock a door for us and, then, lock it again when our interview was complete. I “booked” her appointment for one hour, beginning at 2 p.m., suggesting to her that it is always a good idea to arrive a few minutes early. I also asked her if our interview could be recorded as a video so that (a) we would not be distracted by my taking notes, (b) she and I could play the video when our appointment was over, and (c) I could present part of it during my next coach meeting. Again, she agreed without hesitation.

The Interview

After my aunt and I were seated in comfortable chairs in close proximity to each other at the small table, the video had been set up, and the greetings were over, I began by taking a comprehensive case history of my aunt (from hereon in referred to as “the patient’) as I would for any new patient if I were a general practitioner. If an overweight 66 year-old-lady presented with back problems, not only do I feel a case history should be taken for on file, but it also provides an excellent opportunity to get at the reasons for the patient’s overweight situation and her back problems. After I recorded her self-reported height and weight, I asked if her weight had been fairly steady since she was 35 years of age. The patient said that she had been somewhat on the thin side, weighing around 125 pounds until she turned 52 years of age. At that time, her lifestyle changed almost completely. She moved from a house (with all its upkeep) to a one bedroom apartment in the Arctic with no upkeep. The town she moved to had no swimming pool, no curling rink, and no bowling alley. Going for walks during the winter when it was dark most of the time was impossible—and slowly, but surely, the pounds began to accumulate. I asked the patient when she noticed her back pain to which she replied when she was around 59. When asked if she had been doing any unusual activities, she said she averaged about one complete move each year for nine years in a row. She had been involved in three accidents, two quite serious. By the time the patient arrived where the sports facilities existed that she had missed for years, her back was causing her such extreme pain that even with oral, topical and injection medications, she has a terrible time doing her housework, let alone go curling. Consequently, her friends are limited since she usually made most of them while doing sports and working. The patient has been treated well by doctors and nurses and has no caregivers.

Reflections on my Interview

Since my patient (my aunt) and I know each other fairly well and she is very forthcoming, the interview from both her perspective and mine went very smoothly. She did suggest that I do not talk so much with my hands; and I agree. That constructive criticism has been given to me before. Although I do not think that the interview would have gone as well as it did if I had not known my patient. I think I would value a long-lasting relationship with my patients, which I can have as a General Practitioner.