By Adam Widdison BM BCh, MA, DM, FRCS, PGCE, author of “The Expert Clinician: Bridging the Clinical Divide”.
Blog Editor: Andrea Mead.
Stop scrolling – why this blog is for you
If you are a healthcare professional (HCP) aiming to update your skills and stay current in today’s rapidly changing environment, this blog is for you. My goal is to help you navigate your patient consultations and become a more compassionate and effective healthcare professional.
Traditional history-and-examination frameworks prioritise sequential data collection over flexible, integrated thinking. The traditional format assumes clinical reasoning is linear—but real consultations are anything but: they’re dynamic, adaptive, and shaped by the patient in front of us. In modern practice, effective consultations require purposeful questioning, real-time adaptation, and a clear focus on outcomes that matter to the patient. And, as AI takes on routine tasks, our value lies in judgment, adaptability, and human connection. It’s time our frameworks caught up.
In my previous blog post,“From Listening to Sharing”, I explored the practical art of sharing information—from timing and language to empathy, honesty, and checking for understanding.
In this blog, “From Talking to Examining“, I explore how examination fits into the wider consultation — from deciding whether it is needed, to knowing what to look for and interpreting what you find.
An examination is not simply another step in a consultation or something to do out of routine. It should have a clear purpose, be guided by what you’ve learnt from the patient, and always be carried out with their consent.
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