ABSTRACT
This chapter considers all the patient's symptoms and all the information available to doctors and assesses the symptoms, signs and information given using this to choose the appropriate remedies for the problem, and offers extra information where available and appropriate. Occasionally, one comes across a patient who refuses to discuss their illness in any way. They may discuss all other topics, but the subject of their illness is greeted with silence and refusal to enter into any discussion. Ask the other members of the team if the patient is not talking to them either. Remember that if a patient stops talking, it is not necessarily a criticism of doctors. It may simply relate to how they feel and their understanding of their illness. The patient's refusal to talk is not necessarily a reflection on doctors’ care, but they may be giving doctors a message.
