The Importance of Counseling

I teach medical students all the time that the most important thing you can do is to explain things clearly to your patients. This story illustrates that point all too clearly.

A patient with severe constipation came back to clinic complaining that he was still constipated.
"Doc," he said, "those suppositories you gave me aren't working at all. I'm still totally stopped up, and it is becoming very uncomfortable. Plus, they taste terrible."
"Wait, are you taking those orally?"
"Of course I am. What do you think I'd be doing, sticking them up my butt?"