Hi All,
I've been wondering lately, we talk to our pts during treatment sessions, and we find out information about them, and as we continue to treat them (particularly in an outpt setting) we also talk about ourselves and our lives. But how much information is too much information? I know that generally most of us use our common sense and don't talk about private stuff and on the other hand it is impt to create rapport with a pt, but where do you draw the line? Does it differ between pts? I know that I generally talk about all sorts of stuff, such as uni stuff, talking about my family, what I did on the weekend etc. But what about sharing something that is more personal, such as religious beliefs? Are you even allowed to talk about that, or is it considered unethical? I was just wondering what everyone else thought about it? And if anyone has been in a situation where they have might have said a little too much (about anything), or heard a little too much from a pt?
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2 comments:
I guess it has to do with who your pt is. For example, I just had a pt with frontal lobe behaviour and in that case i excepted more inappropriate behaviour than would for a non-head injured pt.
Also, I think it is ok to discuss matters such as religious beliefs with the pt just as long as you respect what the other person says. Finally, I think you should say as much as you feel as appropriate- you're probably the best judge if you've revealed too much of your own info or not.
Some of the things that patient's tell us make me wonder sometimes what they're like at home around family and friends... can't say I've ever had anything inappropriate said to me, usually just cheeky.
I choose to talk to my patients about areas that I'm comfortable talking about and suss them out over the first few assessments - If they make me feel in any way uncomfortable I choose not to let them know much about me, and others I feel quite comfortable around so will tell more but am cautious not to give exact addresses/names etc - I don't want them turning up on my doorstep!
I had a patient once who after only 3 sessions was so overwhelmed by how much better he felt (top physio Rx!!) and that someone was actually listening to him that he just rushed up and gave me a huge hug in front of other staff...I went bright red and didn't know what to do, I was really uncomfortable because he stepped into my personal space...
What to do in that situation??
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