“Oh, before I go, can you look at my…”

If you've been in practice for very long, seeing that phrase has probably raised your BP a few notches...

It's not that you don't want to help out patients. You're probably also glad to show them how you can help with more than just the issue they came in with. It'd just be nice to not have it sprung on you right at the end of a visit, right? 

But even when it's brought up at the beginning of a visit, these questions can feel like they put you in a bind - do you try and cram in an evaluation and treatment of an entirely new complaint into that session? Or do you risk appearing dismissive, telling them to book a separate visit for it?

I used to struggle with these situations as well. In fact, the topic came up at one of my seminars a few years ago, during a lunch break discussion with some attendees. Before I had the chance to empathise and say it was a tough one with no easy answer, another attendee jumped in with their approach. And it's honestly the best I've heard - it's been my standard way to handle these situations ever since.

So I thought I'd share this in today's video. Give it a try and let me know how you get on!

P.S. The attendee in question here was actually Ulrik Sandstrøm - you can imagine my anxiety when I saw his name on the registration list that morning! Fortunately, he's one of the nicest DC's out there, and doesn't mind me stealing his ideas at all ????