Mrs T Comes for Her Regular Visit to the Clinic

Mrs. T. comes for her regular visit to the clinic. She is on your schedule because her regular provider is on vacation and she wanted to be seen. You have heard about her many times from your colleague and are aware that she is a very talkative person. Which of the following is a helpful technique to improve the quality of the interview for both the provider and the patient?

A) Allow the patient to speak uninterrupted for the duration of the appointment.
B) Briefly summarize what you heard from the patient in the first 5 minutes and then try to have her focus on one aspect of what she told you.
C) Set the time limit at the beginning of the interview and stick with it, no matter what occurs in the course of the interview.
D) Allow your impatience to show so that the patient picks up on your nonverbal cue that the appointment needs to end.