is an acronym coined at Bharti Hospital, Karnal which lays down a step-wise procedure for counseling
- Welcome warmly
- Ask and assess
- Tell truthfully
- Explain with empathy
- Reassure and return
Click to download the THE WATER Approach
– Between a patients ‘Felt Needs & Actual Needs’
The patient has some 'chief concerns' or 'felt needs' which he feels are most important, eg, erectile dysfunction, or asthenia, or perhaps weight loss. The health care provider sometimes makes the mistake of focusing on the 'actual needs ' or 'scientific needs' eg. Poor glycaemic control, or high triglyceride levels without addressing the patient's concerns.
At Bharti Hospital, we always remember that the patient has come for a cure of his symptoms and not just for 'numbers' and we strongly believe that good clinical results can be achieved only by arriving at a convergence of felt needs and actual needs.
Atreya was a renowned Ayurvedic physician who proposed four equally important pillars for successful management of disease: Patient, Doctor, Drug and Attendant.
To successfully manage disease, we need a patient, a doctor (health care provider, counselor), and drugs as well as committed attendants (family members, community members). Common sense tells us that a table can only be as strong as its weakest leg. A counselor cannot work without active support of the patient's family or society.
This is especially true where the patient is economically-dependent on other family members for insulin or other drugs. Simultaneous coaching and counselling of relatives helps in spreading the message of diabetes awareness as well as improving patient adherence to treatment guidelines.
Click here to download ATREYA'S QUADRANGLE |
