Unit 8Section 6 Exercise 21Technology, Policy and Culture The System/Team

The following returns us to our now familiar actor, Alec Anders, who in this clip plays a receptionist. So much of what medical students learn revolves around the doctor-patient interaction. This is not to say that medical education prioritizes the teaching of communication skills. The practice of medicine itself has as its center the dyad of doctor and patient, and the acquisition of clinical skills centers around the orchestrated pursuit of the history and physical. Yet from the patient’s perspective, the function of the team plays a much more defining role.

The Receptionist

Study Questions

1. List professional behaviors that would have made this encounter a better experience for the patient.

2. Where can a patient's visit to the doctor go wrong?