As human beings, we inherently fear rejection and don’t always express our fundamental needs when communicating with others. So often, patients cautiously present pseudo needs, and if we are not careful, we can miss establishing their real needs.
When a friend phones to invite you to a braai, it is unlikely that she will start off the conversation with: “Come over for a braai next Saturday at 7 pm.” She will probably start by asking: “Are you doing anything next Saturday?” Likewise, a secretary will first ask her boss, who is sitting staring at the ceiling: “Are you busy?” instead of: “Can you sign three letters for me?”
Nancy phones and asks, “What time do you close?” If the telephonist simply replies: “At 5 pm,” she would have missed Nancy’s real need, which is to come in at 5.20 pm because she can only get away from work at 5 pm.
Here is another example in a clinical situation:
John is a 43-year-old tractor salesman. One evening, while on his third whiskey, his seven-year-old daughter pushes her homework under his nose. To his horror, the page is blurred. He rushes off to the optometrist the next day, who finds clinically that John can do with +0.75 spheres at near.
What is John’s real need? Not readers, since he has no problem with near vision doing his job. The three whiskeys and the fact that a page was pushed under his nose didn’t help. However, he needs an explanation of what is happening and a reassurance that nothing sinister is going on.
As clinicians, we carry the responsibility of ensuring that we serve our patients’ real needs. The practitioner who consistently gets this right will be the one who generates referrals. This forms the foundation of trust and a long-term relationship with the patient.
Finding the real need in every single patient is a practice builder. It is very easy to miss the patient’s real need and end up servicing a pseudo need. By asking the right questions, the clinician will find out who the patient really is and what they really want and need.