Patients are the experts and an undervalued resource
19 July 2019 (Last updated: 4 May 2020 13:15)
Speaking at the recent BAOMS annual conference retired breast surgeon and patient advocate Dr Liz O’Riordan threw out a challenge saying that surgeons need to listen to their patients more: “They are the experts, and an undervalued resource. Ask them, and they’ll tell you what they need.”
Liz O’Riordan has had breast cancer and knows what it’s like to be given bad news and to be on the other side of the operating table. She admits that it was hard being a patient and a doctor, but it’s given her an extraordinary insight into how the patient journey can be improved enormously by taking time and listening.
She explained how surgeons tell patients what’s going to happen, but not how to cope: “You have no idea what impact your words are having on someone.” For a patient facing surgery she said the first thing you should ask is “do you have any questions? It’s about them, it’s about our bedside manner.
“It really is the little things that matter,” she said. For example, from her own experience of the operating theatre the patient has no idea who anyone is: “Wear your name on your hat where it’s visible to the patient and introduce yourself.”
The impact of cancer surgery has meant it’s no longer possible for her to practise as a surgeon, but she hasn’t stopped working. She has co-authored two books about cancer, speaks at conferences and has an award-winning blog about surviving cancer. She’s also focused on patient advocacy, and plans to launch a campaign called Cancer Fit: “The hardest part after surgery is living for the next five years. Exercise is treatment,” adding: “You don’t know what you don’t know,” she said.
Photo: PNJ Photography
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