Module 1.2 What does it mean to be a patient?

Group activity.

 Each group will be given a scenario to discuss.

 You may have personally experienced it or you may think about.
 Before you start the discussion, take a minute to remember or visualize
the scenario.
 At the end of the session a designated group member will present the
summary of your discussion. So, before you begin the discussion, select
the person who makes note and who will present on behalf of their
group.
Group 1. Falling sick
• Remember the last time you fell sick and had to be taken to a doctor.
• Discuss among your group the following things:
• How were you feeling emotionally when you went through the whole
experience of falling sick?
• How do you feel going from home to doctor despite being ill?
• How did you feel taking medicines and waiting to get well and
suffering till then?
• Finally getting out of sickness.
• Any other thing that comes to your mind.
• At the end of the session a designated group member will present the
summary of your discussion.

Group 2. Falling sick

• Remember the last time you fell sick and had to be taken to a doctor.
• Discuss among your group the following things:
• How did you feel waiting for the doctor? Were you satisfied with
the time given by the doctor? Could you explain your problems to
him completely?
• What was your expectation from the doctor and staff?
• Undergoing tests and understanding the diagnosis.
• What thing did the doctor / staff do that helped you the most?
• What were the things that the doctor / staff do that you didn’t
like?
• At the end of the session a designated group member will present the
summary of your discussion.
Group 3. When your mother fell sick
• Remember (or imagine) the last time your mother fell sick (treated at home
– not admitted in hospital).
• Discuss in your group:
• How did it affect your family when your mother fell sick?
• Who was then contributing to all the work to be done at home?
• How did you and your family members feel emotionally when your
mother fell sick? Were you scared…
• How was food managed?
• Who managed the helpers / maid / cook at home?
• How did you feel when she got well?
• At the end of the session a designated group member will present the
summary of your discussion.

Group 4. When your mother fell sick

 Remember the last time your mother fell sick (treated at home– not
admitted in hospital).
 Discuss in your group:
• What was your expectation from the doctor and staff?
• How did your family feel while she was undergoing tests and
understanding the diagnosis?
• What thing did the doctor / staff do that helped you the most?
• What were the things that you didn’t like?
 At the end of the session a designated group member will present the
summary of your discussion.
Group 5. When somebody from the family gets admitted in the hospital
• Remember the last time when somebody from your family had to be
admitted in the hospital.
• Discuss in your group:
• How did it affect your family?
• How did you feel emotionally about the time when someone was
admitted?
• What were the difficulties faced by the family?
• Who would stay in the hospital?
• Who would manage things at home?
• How were expenses managed? Health insurance, other expenses…
• At the end of the session a designated group member will present the
summary of your discussion.

Group 6. When somebody from the family gets admitted in the hospital
• Remember the last time when somebody from your family had to be
admitted in the hospital.
• Discuss in your group:
• What were your expectations from the doctor, staff and hospital?
• Were the expectations fulfilled?
• Did you think that too many investigations were being done?
• What could have made the experience less painful?
• How did it affect your behavior?
• At the end of the session a designated group member will present the
summary of your discussion.
Group 7. Emergency
• Remember the last time you or a family member had to be taken to
emergency / casualty.
• Discuss in your group:
• How were you feeling emotionally at that time?
• How did it affect your family?
• Who would stay in the hospital?
• Who would manage things at home?
• How were expenses managed? Health insurance, other expenses…
• At the end of the session a designated group member will present the
summary of your discussion.

Group 8. Emergency
• Remember the last time you or a family member had to be taken to
emergency / casualty.
• Discuss in your group:
• Were you attended immediately or had to wait?
• Were you explained about when you would be attended or what was
wrong with you medically and what was to be done?
• How was your behavior with family members and hospital staff?
• Would your behavior be normal under such circumstances?
• How was the staffs’ behavior with you and your family members?
• What was your expectation from the hospital staff and doctor?
• What is usually the problems faced in Emergency/casualty?
• At the end of the session a designated group member will present the
summary of your discussion.
Group 9. Surgery
• Remember the last time when you or a close relative had to undergo a
surgery.
• Discuss in your group:
• How did you feel when you were informed about the surgery?
• How did you feel emotionally when you went through this event?
• How did you feel while waiting outside the operation theater?
• How did you feel while you or your close one were in recovery
room or ICU after the surgery?
• How were you feeling when you or your closed one was in pain
after surgery?
• How did you feel when there was some complication?
• How did you feel when you or your close one were finally
completely well?
• At the end of the session a designated group member will present the
summary of your discussion.

Group 10. Surgery

• Remember the last time when you or a close relative had to undergo a
surgery.
• Discuss in your group:
• What was your expectation from the doctor and staff?
• Did you feel that you were explained well about the surgery?
• Were all your queries solved before the surgery?
• What did the doctor or staff do that made you comfortable?
• What challenges or problems did you face from the hospital,
doctor or staff?
• How was the discharge process?
• At the end of the session a designated group member will present the
summary of your discussion.
Group 11. ICU experience
• Remember that a close relative or friend being admitted in an ICU.
• Discuss in your group:
• How does the family get affected by an ICU admission?
• How did or would you emotionally feel during the time waiting
outside the ICU?
• What are the challenges faced by relatives of patients admitted in
ICU?
• How does a patient feel in ICU with all machines beeping around,
with no relative, and also occasionally hearing that someone died
in the ICU?
• At the end of the session a designated group member will present the
summary of your discussion.

Group 12. ICU experience

• Remember that a close relative or friend being admitted in an ICU.
Discuss in your group:
• How is usually the behavior of staff / doctor in ICU towards the
patient and his family?
• How would you feel if you are not informed about your relative’s
condition on regular basis?
• How can the hospital staff / doctor help them during this time?
• At the end of the session a designated group member will present the
summary of your discussion.
Group 13. Real experiences of a doctor as a patient
• Read the brief real-life experience of a doctor as a patient with your
group.
• Discuss the key challenges of his/her experience.
• At the end of the session a designated group member will present the
summary of your discussion.

Group 14. Real experiences of a doctor as a patient

• Read the brief real-life experience of a doctor as a patient with your
group.
• Discuss the key things that he learned that he should do as a doctor after
his experience as a patient.
• At the end of the session a designated group member will present the
summary of your discussion.

Group 15. Real experiences of a patient

• Read the brief real-life experience of a patient with your group.
• Discuss the key challenges of his/her experience.
• At the end of the session a designated group member will present the
summary of your discussion.

Group 16. Real experiences of a patient

• Read the brief real-life experience of a patient with your group.
• Discuss the key changes that doctors and healthcare providers can make
in their behavior after reading this experience of a patient.
• At the end of the session a designated group member will present the
summary of your discussion.