ABSTRACT
This chapter considers all the patient's symptoms and all the information available to doctors and then 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. Doctors all occasionally meet patients from whom they keep a distance for one reason or another. Often distancing results from communication difficulty, sometimes related to a sensory impairment or learning disability. Acknowledge that there is a problem with a particular patient, and take the remedial actions appropriate to the self-assessment doctors have conducted. Ensure that their actions/feelings do not generalise to other patients. If the patient is having difficulty in communicating due to a physical problem, seek appropriate help for them. If possible, seek the help of a nurse specialist or other colleague with experience of working with patients with sensory impairment.
