“If you don't go after
what you want, you'll never have it. If you don't ask, the answer is always no.
If you don't step forward you're always in the same place” said Nora
Roberts, a best-selling author.
This holds true for
almost all of us. We are content with what we get, even though it may not be
ideal or even close to ideal. We subscribe to the view that “sab chalta hai”, which has become an inherent part of life for us.
But, this attitude has
made us laidback and non-assertive.
It is important to
cultivate the attitude to “ask”. It means to be assertive, which is “being
self-assured and confident without being aggressive”.
“Assertiveness
is a social skill and people who are assertive clearly and
respectfully communicate their wants, needs, positions, and boundaries to
others” (https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/assertiveness)
Lord
Buddha said don’t speak unless it is necessary and is truthful and kind.
Assertiveness is not just a
social skill, it also applies to medicine.
“Ask” is very relevant
in clinical medicine.
We
ask our patients to get an Echo, CT, MRI done and do not write what to look
for. In absence of right information, we may not get the correct desired
information.
But Ask is very well
defined with regard to blood tests; we usually ask for a specific blood test
out of the several hundreds of tests available.
Ensure that your
instructions are clear, specific and easy to understand. Unless
your instructions are concise, they will be lost in translation. Don’t assume
that people will know what you know or want.
Remember, even the law
gives relief only as per asked and not beyond it.
So you should be
straightforward about what you want and state it in clear terms. This avoids
misunderstandings and regrets.
Today, “Ask” is
missing; hence there are diagnostic errors and treatment defaults.
Be resolute and have
the courage to ask and clearly communicate what you really want.
Unless we ask, we
won’t get…
Dr KK Aggarwal
Padma Shri Awardee
President Elect Confederation of
Medical Associations in Asia and Oceania
(CMAAO)
Group Editor-in-Chief IJCP Publications
President Heart Care Foundation of
India
Past National President
IMA
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