The elderly patient with multiple complaints.
"Thick chart" patients often have both a stated and an unstated agenda. Failure to recognize the latter can create a crisis of confidence that may prompt the patient to search for a more empathetic physician. So in addition to making a diagnosis in the face of confusing data, the physician must establish confidence by listening carefully and involving the patient in treatment decisions.
McCahill
M E
ME
Family Medicine Residency Program, University of California, San Diego, USA.
Brunton
S A
SA
D000368:Aged; D003863:Depression / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D003933:Diagnosis; D005260:Female; D005853:Geriatrics; D006349:Heart Valve Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations