Two quick consultation choices
You kept going with data gathering, now it's time to decide how you're going to proceed.
We're discovering more about her and the impact serving in the Armed Forces has had.
What do you know about the health of Military Veterans and how their experience differs from the civilian population?
What do you notice about her non-verbal behaviour?
If 7% of what we communicate is the words spoken, 38% of what we communicate is how the words sound in tone, pace and volume, and 55% of what we communicate is in our body language (facial expression, gesticulations, eye contact and posture), what have you observed about what she is communicating?
Helman Questions can help to set context for the patient's presentation. They ask themselves the following questions, consciously or subconsciously, and this influences their health-seeking behaviours.
- What has happened?
- Why has it happened?
- Why has it happened to me?
- Why now? (This valuable question helps to identify that 'tipping point' of what's motivating them)
- What would happen to me if nothing were done about it?
- What are the likely effects on other people if nothing were done about it?
- What should I do, or to whom shall I turn to for further help?
Task
Discuss the answers to these questions in the case information you have so far.