After 33 years of being a PT and taking hundreds of subjective exam from patients, I have come to the conclusion that the less I talk the better.
This is
how I currently do my subjective examination. After my self-introduction and confirming what they would like to be called, I ask my patients of their hobbies and they keep busy in life. Then I simply say, “So tell me your story, tell me everything you think that I need to know about you.”
“When someone tells you their story… you get to experience their experience.” – David Brooks
When someone is sharing their story, our ultimate goal is to validate their story as we have invited them to share their story with us. The mindset should be that we are there to help this person and not just their body part.
In my younger days as a physio, my focus was not on really listening or understanding my patients, but was on completing an assessment form and to check off boxes. I’d be like, ‘okay, now I’ll ask about medication, and now I’ll ask about their aggravating factors’, etc.
After hearing their story, then my next most important question is “Tell me, how this condition/pain impacting your life? What’s your biggest concern?” – I usually ask that 3 times to make sure they express everything.
If this topic interests you, then see the sample from my online course Maximizing Therapeutic Alliance