Patient Cases

“The patient is the centre of the medical universe around which all our work revolves and towards which all our efforts tend” William Murphy, 1934 Nobel Prize winner.

The Technical Medicine Professional, like medical doctors, should approach patients from multiple perspectives ranging from large-scale prevention to individual patient care. In collaboration, both professionals should be able to conceptualize care around patients and use technology to improve the diagnostic and treatment process. In this process, the medical interview and physical examination are specific skills which play an essential role in the communication between (potential) patients and healthcare providers. It is used to guide patients from complaint to diagnosis and treatment in a structured form, keeping in mind the patient profile (background, age, expectations, desires, etc). As such, it forms the basis of treatment relationships in most healthcare contexts and determines where technology can be used to improve patient outcomes.

This case-based course addresses communication skills in a healthcare context, the diagnostic process, patient treatment and follow-up. Students will learn where (the development of) technology can be helpful and how it is integrated in modern patient care. The first cases will focus on basic communication skills and physical examination, the latter cases will focus on integration of technology into patient-care.

Topics include:

- The medical interview

- Physical examination

- Communication skills in a healthcare context

- The diagnostic process

- From diagnosis to treatment

- Conceptualizing medical problems into technological solutions