Partnering with Your Doctor
What does family medicine look like in the year 2022 & what does it mean to us all? Dr. Drue Webb discusses family medicine, her approach to patient care, what a first visit looks like, and more.
Featuring:
She originally began her career in research because she has always enjoyed science. She found herself wanting to be more directly involved in the lives of the people she was trying to help- family medicine provided an opportunity for her to help others and become a part of their lives in a unique way.
“I believe in patient-centered care,” says Dr. Webb. “My job is to provide the patient with information and recommendations to help guide them in their healthcare decisions.”
Drue Webb, MD
Dr. Drue Webb is a family medicine doctor who also provides obstetrical care. Originally, she hails from New Mexico but has lived in many states for education and work. When she’s not in the clinic or hospital, she loves spending time outdoors with her dog.She originally began her career in research because she has always enjoyed science. She found herself wanting to be more directly involved in the lives of the people she was trying to help- family medicine provided an opportunity for her to help others and become a part of their lives in a unique way.
“I believe in patient-centered care,” says Dr. Webb. “My job is to provide the patient with information and recommendations to help guide them in their healthcare decisions.”
Transcription:
Announcer: With a relentless focus on excellence in healthcare, Pullman Regional Hospital presents The Health Podcast.
Deborah Howell: You know, today's topic is near and dear to my heart as my beloved father was a family physician in every sense of the word. But what does family medicine look like in the year 2022 and how important is it to all of us? To talk about family medicine today? We'd like to welcome Drue Webb, a family medicine physician at Pullman family medicine. Welcome, Dr. Webb.
Dr. Drue Webb: Thank you for having me. I appreciate it.
Deborah Howell: Thanks for making space in your day for us. Now, as a family medicine provider, you see patients of all ages. So what's your approach to patient care?
Dr. Drue Webb: I approach it as a conversation honestly. When patients come in to see me, I just like to get to know them, get to know about their lives, about their families and about their goals and that's different for everybody. And once I have a better picture of that, I can apply that to them specifically in terms of what we know is good for preventative care and overall healthcare. And that's how I see patients and manage all these patients in different ages, from newborns, all the way to patients who are end-of-life or hospice care. And that helps me navigate that range.
Deborah Howell: Sure, that's quite a spectrum. So can you walk us through what a first visit with a new patient of yours looks like?
Dr. Drue Webb: Basically, a patient will come in to see me for any number of reasons for their initial visit. And so I usually start out just by getting histories. What have you experienced before, any chronic medical conditions, surgical history, those kinds of things. And then once I get a history on the patient, so I get a big picture of the patient, then we can kind of talk about what brought them in. Sometimes it's something as simple as I hurt my toe. Sometimes it's for preventative care visits. There's pretty big spectrum that people come in for their initial visit. But it's just like any other visit, we just talk a little bit more about their whole history.
Deborah Howell: Yeah. And in that visit, what types of questions do you ask your patients and what types of questions should a new patient prepare to ask their doctor?
Dr. Drue Webb: Yeah. So I might ask them questions. Obviously, like I said about the medical history and surgical history, but I also want to know about family. And so it's a good idea for patients to get a good sense of what their family members have dealt with medically speaking. I also ask about use of tobacco products, things that can affect health, alcohol use, drug use, things like that.
I think the one that patients always give me a little funny look on is exercise. We ask about exercise, mostly because we just want to know, is there something that we need to work on in terms of providing better overall wellness by having a discussion about physical activity. Those are the big questions on history that we kind of go through. And then, other questions that I might ask patients, obviously we want to know medications that they're taking, and it's really important if a patient isn't familiar with that off the top of their head, it's best to just bring in a med list so that they have it with them. Those are the ones that I would tell patients to kind of be prepared to answer when they come in.
Deborah Howell: That's a great idea to bring the med list. So how can you help patients optimize their daily functioning and, you know, improve their quality of life?
Dr. Drue Webb: Yeah. And again, that's kind of specific to the person. So if a person comes into me and I say, they say, I don't want to do medications. I just want to try and work on things without taking medications. Then I would work with them on lifestyle things, making sure that they're eating a healthy diet, making sure that they're getting exercise, making sure that they're sleeping well, and doing everything they can without medications to optimize their health.
If a patient comes in has a lot of chronic medical conditions and that's not really an option for us, then I try to have a conversation with them about what they're willing to do, what they're not willing to do, what they're going to be, for lack of a better word, compliant. I hate that word because, it makes us sound like we're chastising our patients for not doing what we tell them to do. But we want to know what they're going to be capable of doing and what they can be successful at. And so if I can get a better idea of that, then I know the best way to try and treat my patient and help them function as best they can and have the best quality of life. But it is very dependent on the patient and their specific needs and their specific goals.
Deborah Howell: Of course. Now, you have, I understand, a background in microbiology and cancer research. How does this help you have conversations with your patients?
Dr. Drue Webb: I think that probably my research background just helps me understand both sides of the coin. So, you know, I've worked a little bit in pharmaceuticals. I've worked a little bit in clinical trials and then obviously in the initial research as well. And so if a patient has questions about the process or why certain things are the way that they are, sometimes that can help me shine light on that for the patient. I think, especially in today's era with COVID, it's also helped me have conversations with my patients about COVID and the vaccines. A lot of my graduate work was in vaccines and so it's helped me kind of navigate those discussions with them a little bit easier.
Deborah Howell: And if I may ask, what is your favorite part about being a family medicine provider?
Dr. Drue Webb: I would say the relationships. I love most getting to know my patients and being a small part of their life, but also kind of sharing in their celebrations and their joys, in their successes, but even in their downtimes and their difficult times. That's where I draw the most from what I do. Obviously, I like the medicine part of it, I like the science part of it, but I really got into family medicine because it allowed me to make relationships with my patients and carry those through for many, many years, and that's what I love most about it.
Deborah Howell: Yeah. From the grandparents all the way down to the newborns, right?
Dr. Drue Webb: Exactly. Exactly.
Deborah Howell: I am curious, when is it time to seek a new doctor?
Dr. Drue Webb: I think that patients should really be pretty honest. I see the doctor-patient relationship as a relationship. And there's always going to be situations where people just don't click. They're not communicating in the same way. And so maybe there's a disconnect there. And so I, generally say if a patient has made very clear to their providers what their goals are and what they want and they still feel like they're not getting there, then it's probably a good time to maybe say, "Well, maybe, I should look at a different provider and see if I can find somebody who just communicates a little bit better with me that we have more connecting relationship can work through these things a little bit better.
Patients usually know. If they're leaving the office frustrated every time, then there's probably an issue with that patient-physician relationship. And most physicians are not too tender about that. I mean, they understand that the most important thing is for you to feel comfortable with your provider. And if you don't feel comfortable with your provider, then you probably need to find somebody that you are comfortable with. And we don't get hurt by that most of the time. We say, "Okay. Well, you need to go where you need to go," and I think that's totally reasonable for most patients.
Deborah Howell: So is there anything else you'd like to add to our conversation today?
Dr. Drue Webb: No, I don't think so.
Deborah Howell: Well, I really, really appreciate your time, Dr. Webb and everything you do to help our wonderful families every single day. Thanks so much for being with us today.
Dr. Drue Webb: Yeah. Thank you. I appreciate it.
Deborah Howell: And you can learn more and schedule with Dr. Webb at pullmanregional.org/pullmanfamilymedicine. This has been The Health Podcast from Pullman Regional. I'm your host Deborah Howell. Thanks for listening and have yourself a great day.
Announcer: With a relentless focus on excellence in healthcare, Pullman Regional Hospital presents The Health Podcast.
Deborah Howell: You know, today's topic is near and dear to my heart as my beloved father was a family physician in every sense of the word. But what does family medicine look like in the year 2022 and how important is it to all of us? To talk about family medicine today? We'd like to welcome Drue Webb, a family medicine physician at Pullman family medicine. Welcome, Dr. Webb.
Dr. Drue Webb: Thank you for having me. I appreciate it.
Deborah Howell: Thanks for making space in your day for us. Now, as a family medicine provider, you see patients of all ages. So what's your approach to patient care?
Dr. Drue Webb: I approach it as a conversation honestly. When patients come in to see me, I just like to get to know them, get to know about their lives, about their families and about their goals and that's different for everybody. And once I have a better picture of that, I can apply that to them specifically in terms of what we know is good for preventative care and overall healthcare. And that's how I see patients and manage all these patients in different ages, from newborns, all the way to patients who are end-of-life or hospice care. And that helps me navigate that range.
Deborah Howell: Sure, that's quite a spectrum. So can you walk us through what a first visit with a new patient of yours looks like?
Dr. Drue Webb: Basically, a patient will come in to see me for any number of reasons for their initial visit. And so I usually start out just by getting histories. What have you experienced before, any chronic medical conditions, surgical history, those kinds of things. And then once I get a history on the patient, so I get a big picture of the patient, then we can kind of talk about what brought them in. Sometimes it's something as simple as I hurt my toe. Sometimes it's for preventative care visits. There's pretty big spectrum that people come in for their initial visit. But it's just like any other visit, we just talk a little bit more about their whole history.
Deborah Howell: Yeah. And in that visit, what types of questions do you ask your patients and what types of questions should a new patient prepare to ask their doctor?
Dr. Drue Webb: Yeah. So I might ask them questions. Obviously, like I said about the medical history and surgical history, but I also want to know about family. And so it's a good idea for patients to get a good sense of what their family members have dealt with medically speaking. I also ask about use of tobacco products, things that can affect health, alcohol use, drug use, things like that.
I think the one that patients always give me a little funny look on is exercise. We ask about exercise, mostly because we just want to know, is there something that we need to work on in terms of providing better overall wellness by having a discussion about physical activity. Those are the big questions on history that we kind of go through. And then, other questions that I might ask patients, obviously we want to know medications that they're taking, and it's really important if a patient isn't familiar with that off the top of their head, it's best to just bring in a med list so that they have it with them. Those are the ones that I would tell patients to kind of be prepared to answer when they come in.
Deborah Howell: That's a great idea to bring the med list. So how can you help patients optimize their daily functioning and, you know, improve their quality of life?
Dr. Drue Webb: Yeah. And again, that's kind of specific to the person. So if a person comes into me and I say, they say, I don't want to do medications. I just want to try and work on things without taking medications. Then I would work with them on lifestyle things, making sure that they're eating a healthy diet, making sure that they're getting exercise, making sure that they're sleeping well, and doing everything they can without medications to optimize their health.
If a patient comes in has a lot of chronic medical conditions and that's not really an option for us, then I try to have a conversation with them about what they're willing to do, what they're not willing to do, what they're going to be, for lack of a better word, compliant. I hate that word because, it makes us sound like we're chastising our patients for not doing what we tell them to do. But we want to know what they're going to be capable of doing and what they can be successful at. And so if I can get a better idea of that, then I know the best way to try and treat my patient and help them function as best they can and have the best quality of life. But it is very dependent on the patient and their specific needs and their specific goals.
Deborah Howell: Of course. Now, you have, I understand, a background in microbiology and cancer research. How does this help you have conversations with your patients?
Dr. Drue Webb: I think that probably my research background just helps me understand both sides of the coin. So, you know, I've worked a little bit in pharmaceuticals. I've worked a little bit in clinical trials and then obviously in the initial research as well. And so if a patient has questions about the process or why certain things are the way that they are, sometimes that can help me shine light on that for the patient. I think, especially in today's era with COVID, it's also helped me have conversations with my patients about COVID and the vaccines. A lot of my graduate work was in vaccines and so it's helped me kind of navigate those discussions with them a little bit easier.
Deborah Howell: And if I may ask, what is your favorite part about being a family medicine provider?
Dr. Drue Webb: I would say the relationships. I love most getting to know my patients and being a small part of their life, but also kind of sharing in their celebrations and their joys, in their successes, but even in their downtimes and their difficult times. That's where I draw the most from what I do. Obviously, I like the medicine part of it, I like the science part of it, but I really got into family medicine because it allowed me to make relationships with my patients and carry those through for many, many years, and that's what I love most about it.
Deborah Howell: Yeah. From the grandparents all the way down to the newborns, right?
Dr. Drue Webb: Exactly. Exactly.
Deborah Howell: I am curious, when is it time to seek a new doctor?
Dr. Drue Webb: I think that patients should really be pretty honest. I see the doctor-patient relationship as a relationship. And there's always going to be situations where people just don't click. They're not communicating in the same way. And so maybe there's a disconnect there. And so I, generally say if a patient has made very clear to their providers what their goals are and what they want and they still feel like they're not getting there, then it's probably a good time to maybe say, "Well, maybe, I should look at a different provider and see if I can find somebody who just communicates a little bit better with me that we have more connecting relationship can work through these things a little bit better.
Patients usually know. If they're leaving the office frustrated every time, then there's probably an issue with that patient-physician relationship. And most physicians are not too tender about that. I mean, they understand that the most important thing is for you to feel comfortable with your provider. And if you don't feel comfortable with your provider, then you probably need to find somebody that you are comfortable with. And we don't get hurt by that most of the time. We say, "Okay. Well, you need to go where you need to go," and I think that's totally reasonable for most patients.
Deborah Howell: So is there anything else you'd like to add to our conversation today?
Dr. Drue Webb: No, I don't think so.
Deborah Howell: Well, I really, really appreciate your time, Dr. Webb and everything you do to help our wonderful families every single day. Thanks so much for being with us today.
Dr. Drue Webb: Yeah. Thank you. I appreciate it.
Deborah Howell: And you can learn more and schedule with Dr. Webb at pullmanregional.org/pullmanfamilymedicine. This has been The Health Podcast from Pullman Regional. I'm your host Deborah Howell. Thanks for listening and have yourself a great day.