For journalists, mastering the art of questioning is fundamental. One poorly crafted or communicated question can instantly kill an interview. Successful questions are generally considered to be clear, neutral, thoughtful, relevant, and open-ended. Of course, sometimes a particular interview or interviewee mandates a deviation from “good” journalistic questioning. However, the aforementioned qualities increase the likelihood that a question is answered, that the conversation can progress, and that the interviewer’s relationship with their source remains viable.
While editing the articles for this issue, one sentence in particular stood out to me. In her cover focus article on sustained-release drug delivery, Dr. Courtney Bovee writes, “This [experience] has reminded me of the importance of pushing the pause button during every encounter to ask patients how they feel.” With so many important glaucoma metrics to consider—IOP, visual field testing, OCT imaging, etc.—it is understandable that these topics garner the most attention, especially when time is limited.
As discussed by the GT contributors, sustained-release drug delivery solutions can help address problems of treatment side effects and nonadherence. However, knowing to what extent these issues affect each individual may mean asking them directly. Fortunately, as Dr. Bovee mentions, this type of questioning does not need to be particularly nuanced. “How do you feel?” is a clear, neutral, thoughtful, relevant, and open-ended question. It may serve to illuminate next steps and strengthen the physician-patient relationship. Plus, in this era of interventional glaucoma care, the answer is certainly meaningful.
