by Dr Viral Thakerar
A student reflection
PCH2 is the first clinical placement where our students take histories. This year, it occurred at a critical time in the NHS’s journey when technologies that promote personalised care may ironically lead to the loss of the personal touch. One of our students shared their reflections on this.
I admit that on my first encounter with a treatment algorithm, a faint feeling of dread came over me. Fears I thought I had put to bed when applying for medicine were renewed; was medicine just a form of glorified factory work? Would an algorithm not be better adhered to by a computer?
My last primary care placement went some way to assuage these fears and led me to consider the importance of human connection for patients. Despite current staffing pressures, clinicians on my placement knew patients well and patients seemed to really appreciate this. This is in the context of evidence suggesting patients who receive a greater continuity of care have improved health outcomes. Beyond recommending treatments or making diagnoses, I came to appreciate the role healthcare professionals could have in helping patients navigate difficult times in their lives. Often, it seemed that just lending an ear while patients talked through their concerns could have its own therapeutic value. Thank you!
A tutor reflection
One of our longest standing PCH tutors shares his experience of the community projects and how they give them insight into what matters to their population.
PCH1 was a particular eye opener for us as they looked at satisfaction amongst our patients and the appointment system. There was a lot of free text for them to also write comments and suggestions. The feedback was more positive than I thought. One interesting thing we learnt is trying to give better access to people with hearing impairments. This group of patients will often send in for request via email etc, but when there is something urgent it is a lot more challenging for them to book an appointment personally via calling up. As GPs we only think of the things we can improve or the negative things, but both PCH1 and PCH2 gave us some much-needed positive feedback which I have been able to share with colleagues.
PCH2 was particularly useful with regards to looking at Mental Health in young people. One of the projects also looked at homelessness. We looked at many of the issues. I was able to also explain the challenges from Primary Care- by thinking out loud that not all changes could be implemented- but that there were still changes which would be helpful. For example, young people with mental health problems often want to feel listened to and that their experience is believed, and that some people in this group prefer to talk to older doctors as they may feel judged by younger doctors.