ABSTRACT
LEARNING ABOUT ASKING CLINICAL QUESTIONS Review of Transitioning from a Patient’s Concern to a Relevant Clinical Question Remember that this requires very active listening. The narrative dilemma is often embedded in a very emotional context. For instance, if a patient ever uses the words ‘worried,’ ‘anxious,’ or stressed,’ we always look for the underlying plot or dramatic moment, such as worried about what? What is being threatened? How does the patient think it will happen? What consequences (next episodes) does the patient think will happen? Remember, these questions are important because the medical literature has to be reviewed not only for the test or treatment, but also for the target disorder. A single treatment may be used for seizures and for peripheral neuropathy, but the evidence and how we use it is vastly different. That is why the narrative information is so important – we need to capture it in the clinically relevant question.
