In: Operations Management
A neurologist needs to counsel a stroke victim and her husband about possible outcomes, treatment options, and lifestyle changes that may be necessary. The patient is located in rural Utah, and the neurologist is in Salt Lake City. What is the most appropriate way for the physician to communicate?
The doctor should talk to the patient and her husband through video conferencing so facial expressions can be read and understanding confirmed in real time. The doctor should email the information to a local, nonspecialist physician in the patient’s hometown, and that doctor can communicate face-to-face with the patient and her husband. The doctor should send a detailed email outlining the many options and considerations and inviting the patient and her husband to email him back with any questions. The doctor should use Intermountain Healthcare’s extensive database to provide the patient and her husband with factsheets on her condition, links to websites for rehabilitation facilities, and contact information for support groups.