Clearly you’re not ok becsuse you’re seeing a doctor, but aren’t you supposed to be polite to the nurse? But then again the nurse is doing your intake assessment.
I do my socializing in the hallway on the way to the examination room for the appointment. We get down to why I’m there once I’m in the examination room.
It’s an open question, there is no correct answer, they are seeking to elicit information
i will exercise my right to remain silent because anything i say might be used against me
Honestly.
Can’t you just tell the nurse if you don’t feel okay? How is that not being polite?
Depends on where you are. In some countries, saying that tends to be be just chatter/fluff, and the person asking does not expect an earnest answer.
But that said, if they’re seeing a doctor, it might be better to just be honest, instead of faffing about. At worst, they’re understandably slightly rude, and at best, they can make the nurse’s job easier.
I usually just take that question to be them wanting to know if there is anything specific I want to tell them about that they might want to look into. My response is usually a lighthearted “well, I’ve been better but also been worse!” Or something along those lines.
They’re partly gauging your delivery and seeing where your mental state is at. So, being coherent if possible is probably ideal. Beyond that it’s a matter of taste I imagine.
Or if you’re feeling incoherent, go for it, I guess?
At first I respond automatically with a “I’m fine” then I realize my mistake and say what’s actually wrong.
Yeah, it’s one of those weird questions that you don’t know if it’s social (“eh, fine”) or clinical (“well, my lower back’s been hurting ever since I turned 30, but that’s not why I’m here. I’m here because tripped, fell face-into-arm, and bit myself and the internet tells me I need a tetanus shot, but now I’m worried you’ll put me down for ‘self-harm’ and have me involuntarily committed and oh no did I say that out loud?”).
Just basic, simple talk with nurse. No details because you’ll need to repeat it all for the doc anyway.
Be honest about what’s wrong, that’s why you’re there. But in a polite way. “Well, my day started off well but then I broke my arm so I’m worse now.”
Breaking your arm, as is tradition on a fine normal day
Tradition! Raises broken arm to the sky
Don’t sweat it: it’s just a social greeting. The bigger question is “How can we help you today?” or “What brings you in to see us?”
Can’t you be polite and truthful at the same time?
The nurse is asking you to summarize your chief complaint (the reason why you came to the doctor).
Definitely not because they usually ask you this while you’re in the hallway, still walking towards the doctor’s room. They don’t want you sharing your medical information publicly.
I usually answer with essentially some form of phatic expression and segue into why I’m there. “Fine thanks, just been having this persistent cough for a bit that I can’t seem to shake.” Honestly, the phatic expression is likely enough, but you know the next question is going to be why are you here. This kind of opens that door and gets the exchange moving forward in my opinion.
You can just tell them “how are you” back, as it’s often used as a greeting too.
