how do you discuss diagnosis/plan w/ the CS patient?

[bulldog]

when u're done examining them and have come up w/ a diferrential in ur head, and a plan, how do you go over it w/ a patient?

Do you say:

1. (diagnosis) "based on my exam, I think there's a possibility that you may have X (most likely)."

2. (plan) "I will order some tests to make sure...."

3. (misc/preventatitive advice): "Well, I see you're (insert alcoholic, smoker, etc). It's important you stop smoking. There are several support groups i'll set u up w/".

Just a little unsure how much to say.

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[C2007]

After examining , you can say that it seems like you have x condition . To confirm it & to rule out other differential diagnosis I have to order such and such tests. But be sure not to use to much medical jargon when explaining to a patient . Use simple language. In my case almost all patients had been given a specific question to ask concerning their condition eg.can i stop my antihypertensive medication / will i need a surgery.
Like you i was also unsure of how to ask a patient to quit smoking, but it seems like all they want for you is to educate the patient that why smoking is bad and that quitting it can go a long way in improving their health and decreasing the risk of heart attack, cancers , etc. One of the patients actually had asked - doc, do you think i should quit smoking ? Always appreciate that the patient is making an effort to quit.