The New York Times Well column features many excellent pieces about medicine from the patient, physician and public health perspectives. Danielle Ofri’s “My Patient Doesn’t ‘Do’ Vaccines” is a snapshot of an every day encounter for a physician: a patient disagrees with the recommended care plan. Although immunizations are one of the most common areas of disconnect these days, this can and does happen in many other situations as well: a patient requests antibiotics for a viral illness, a physician recommends a procedure that a patient doesn’t want, a patient requests labs or studies that aren’t indicated, a physician recommends a medication that a patient is hesitant to take. Instead of just letting the situation pass by during a busy clinic day, Dr. Ofri decides to become curious, to engage her patient and educate him on the medical science. He, in turn, is able to voice his concerns and viewpoint.

Writing Prompt: Write about a time there was a disconnect between you and your physician or your patient. Were you curious during the encounter to understand the other person’s fears, concerns or hesitation? Why or why not? As providers, how best can we address valid concerns while staying true to evidence based care? How do our backgrounds color our perspective and ability to engage others?