Useful phrases for consultations

Information gathering
• How can I help you today?
• The ‘Golden Minute’ – don’t speak just facilitate disclosure in the 1st minute (head nodding, facilitative noises e.g. ‘umming’, eye contact etc)
• Tell me more about that?
• You mentioned #### earlier, tell me more.
• Anything else that you have noticed?
• You’ve mentioned a few things there, is there one you are particularly concerned about?


Cues
• You look (tired, sad, low, stressed, anxious), is that how you feel?
• You sound (tired, sad, worried etc), is that how you feel?
• You seem .........
• You mentioned ******, tell me more .......
• Reflecting (echoing) back statements and using a hanging sentence (unfinished sentence) or even a single word followed by silence, which encourages them to complete and expand?
e.g. You mentioned work ...........
Your dad................
Stress?............

ICE
• What does all this mean to you?
• What do you make of all this?
• What do you think might be the cause?
• Have you any thoughts as to what might be going on?
• Can I ask you what you mean by......?
• Tell me what you mean by ******?
• So you have had ******* for #### days, have you any thoughts as to what might be going on?
• Have you considered what might be causing these problems?
• Have you considered what might be contributing to these problems?
• How/what do you think this has happened?
• Some people with this problem find ......., has that been a problem for you?
• If I were to say that you may have **** what does that mean to you?

• You mentioned a few things there, is there one particularly concerning you?
• Are you worried about anything in particular?
• Is there anything you’re worried this might be?
• Anything else worrying you?
• Do you have any specific worries about this?
• Have you thought how I might be able to help?
• Have you had any thoughts on investigation/treatment.
• Have you had any thoughts on where you want to go from here?

Psychosocial
• How’s all this affecting you at home or at work?
• How’s this affecting your day to day life.
• How’s it affecting your day to day activities?
• How are you coping with all of this?
• You’ve a lot happening, what problems is it causing?

Sign posting, internal summary and chunking & checking (great techniques for improving time management)
• Before I examine you I just need to check that I’ve got to grips with all that’s going on. Summarise the problems and then ask – Have I missed anything?
• So just to make sure I’ve got things right, you have .........
• Just to recap, you have had...........
• So I’ll just summarise what you have told me........ Did I miss anything?

Explaining the problem
• Do you know much about?
• If I were to say to you I thought you had .... What does that mean to you?
• Have you heard of the term ##### ... What does it mean to you?
• Use pictures, patient information leaflets and the internet to facilitate explanation.

Sharing options
• There are a number of options:***, **** and ******. Which do you prefer?
• Do any of these options particularly appeal to you?
• So where do we go from here? We could ********. What do you think?

Checking understanding
• Summarise & ask “Does that sound about right”?
• Do you have any questions?
• Is there anything you want to ask me?
• Does my explanation make sense?
• Is there anything I haven’t explained?
• Just to check that I have explained things clearly can you tell me what you’re going to do/how you’re going to take your medication?
• Just to check that I’ve explained things clearly, how are you going to take .... or what are you going to do?
• Just so I know that I have explained thing right, do you want to summarise what we have agreed to do today?
• We’ve covered a lot of ground here, so is there anything you would like me to go over again?

Safety netting
• I’ll see you in ..... weeks.
• Come back if thing don’t get better.
• Come back if things don’t get better by ..........
• Come back if XXXXX develops