Video

Scene 1 Part 1 Using a prescriptive approach

The scene takes place in a diabetic outpatient clinic.

Following a referral by her doctor, a new patient arrives for an appointment with the dietitian.

(Although not all newly diagnosed non-insulin-dependent patients with diabetes will be referred to a dietitian, this scenario is familiar to all dietitians and so is used here to illustrate the approach used by the dietitian in her communication with the patient. The viewer is therefore invited to focus on the interaction between dietitian and patient, rather than the clinical information, although every attempt has been made to make this generally applicable and accurate.).

While watching the video, you will find it helpful to make notes about:

• • the non-verbal communication (body language) of the dietitian and the patient;
• • the manner in which the dietitian speaks to the patient;
• • how the patient reacts.

Some points to consider

• • What are your first impressions of the dietitian and the patient?
• • What assumptions do you think are made by the dietitian?
• • What are your observations of their body language? How might you interpret these?
• • What methods does the dietitian use to get information from the patient?
• • What do you think is the dietitian’s agenda?
• • What do you think are the patient’s concerns?

For further reading, see Chapters 1, 2, and 5.