One patient. Different reactions to your words. Explore what matters, explain the risk and make a workable plan.
Patient brief · fixed facts
It is 10:00 today. All names, times and service arrangements in this exercise are fictional.
Alex, 52, woke yesterday with a marked reduction in left-ear hearing; hearing had been normal the night before. Right-ear hearing is unchanged.
History already taken: no reported facial weakness, altered sensation, speech change, limb weakness, severe headache, vertigo or difficulty walking. No ear pain, discharge, trauma or recent pressure injury. These are reported negatives, not examination findings.
Identity, current location, callback number, privacy and consent to the telephone consultation have already been checked. Alex can hear the call using the right ear.
There has been no otoscopy, tuning-fork testing or audiogram. The cause is unknown. A previous episode of wax does not establish the cause today.
This communication exercise follows the initial assessment; it does not replace a complete history or examination. Alex is a different fictional patient from the earlier hearing-loss/stroke simulation.
ONE PATIENT · 0 RESPONSES CHOSEN
The request for drops
ALEX SAYSI cannot come in today. Last time it was wax. Could you just give me drops?
Say your response aloud, then choose the closest wording. Only that response’s next patient reply will appear.
Guidance, limits and design
UK adult teaching scenario. For sudden hearing loss developing over three days or less within the preceding 30 days, not explained by an external or middle-ear cause, NICE recommends immediate referral for assessment within 24 hours. Telephone reassurance cannot establish wax. New possible stroke symptoms change the emergency pathway.
The clinical facts stay fixed. Rapport, understanding and willingness can change with the discussion. This is an authored dialogue, not a live patient, prescribing tool or automated capacity assessment. Different appropriate wording may reach the same outcome. Local access arrangements must be verified in real care.