3-2-1 Pelvic Digest: From Forms to Function

I. Paint broad strokes first
In a 30 to 45 minute eval, you cannot chase every detail. Start with onset, triggers, and associated symptoms. Think of it as sketching the canvas before layering in the fine brushstrokes.

II. Use forms and funnels
Outcome measures give you a roadmap, especially when time is tight. Funnel from open ended questions into specifics. “Do you have any bladder or bowel symptoms?” can lead naturally into frequency, urgency, or leakage without overwhelming the patient, or you.

III. Rule in, rule out, move on
Whether it is pain, numbness, LUTS, or sexual dysfunction, treat symptoms like signal lights. Use your evaluation to rule out categories step by step. You do not need to resolve every mystery in the first session. Sometimes the win is simply knowing where not to look.

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I. Leonardo da Vinci on starting simple:
“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”
Broad strokes first. Detail later.

II. Atul Gawande on efficiency:
“We always hope for the easy fix: the one simple change that will erase a problem in a stroke. But few things in life work this way. Instead, success requires making a hundred small steps go right.”
Evaluations are built one question at a time.

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In your next evaluation, where can you simplify so you learn the most without asking everything all at once?

With care,

Team IPC