“If this report was about you, how would you feel about the tone/language?”

For every report I write, I always try to ask myself that question.

Why?

A patient’s dignity is just as important as accurate communication of results.

I like to think of report writing as storytelling based on data. A patient’s story is a compilation of observations, a detailed history, valid and reliable test results, records, etc. It is also a story that is typically written with specific goals in mind: diagnostic impressions and recommendations.

For me, another important goal for that story is helping a patient feel understood, treated well, and seen.

To meet that goal, I find it useful to try to put myself in the patient’s shoes. Questions I consider include the following:

• After reading a report, would I feel that I had been treated kindly and respectfully by the clinician?
• Would I feel that the clinician had prioritized preserving my dignity?
• Would I feel that the testing had been worthwhile?
• Would I feel that I had been taken seriously?
• Would I feel that the clinician accepted my reasons for wanting testing?
• Would I feel that the clinician addressed my concerns?
• Would I feel that the clinician had been compassionate about my symptoms?

A patient may only consider one or two of these in actuality, but the goal is always to write an honest, accurate story that makes a patient feel respected.

Agree with these? Disagree? What other questions do you consider? Let me know!