A rehabilitation referral mistaken for dismissal

Setting: A follow-up consultation

The treating team's fictional plan includes rehabilitation alongside continuing medical review. The patient believes referral means symptoms are not real.

Task

Explore the concern behind this opening: Are you sending me to rehabilitation because you have given up finding out what is wrong?
Clarify the patient perspective using an appropriate follow-up, such as: What have you understood about the rehabilitation referral?
Explain the supplied information and its limits in manageable sections.
Explore practical barriers and agree a workable next step from the supplied options.
Check the patient understanding and identify any unresolved question.

A rehabilitation referral mistaken for dismissal supplied information

The treating team's fictional plan includes rehabilitation alongside continuing medical review. The patient believes referral means symptoms are not real.
In the supplied plan, rehabilitation addresses the difficulties affecting your daily activities while medical review continues. The two parts of the plan have different purposes and can run alongside each other.
The referral does not establish a cause for your symptoms, and I cannot promise how much improvement you will experience.
We can include your concerns in the referral and ask the rehabilitation team to discuss your current limits and goals at the first appointment.
Keep the planned medical review. Use the rehabilitation contact on the card to ask about the first appointment and access arrangements.

Fictional scenario information supplied for exam communication practice only; not medical guidance for real patients.