“If you dont go after what you want, youll never have it. If you dont ask, the answer is always no. If you dont step forward youre always in the same place” said Nora Roberts, a best-selling author.

This holds true for almost all of us. We are content with what we get, even though it may not be ideal or even close to ideal. We subscribe to the view that “sab chalta hai”, which has become an inherent part of life for us. 

But, this attitude has made us laidback and non-assertive. 

It is important to cultivate the attitude to “ask”. It means to be assertive, which is “being self-assured and confident without being aggressive”.

“Assertiveness is a social skill and people who are assertive clearly and respectfully communicate their wants, needs, positions, and boundaries to others” (https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/assertiveness)

Lord Buddha said don’t speak unless it is necessary and is truthful and kind.

Assertiveness is not just a social skill, it also applies to medicine.

“Ask” is very relevant in clinical medicine.

We ask our patients to get an Echo, CT, MRI done and do not write what to look for. In absence of right information, we may not get the correct desired information.

But Ask is very well defined with regard to blood tests; we usually ask for a specific blood test out of the several hundreds of tests available.

Ensure that your instructions are clear, specific and easy to understand. Unless your instructions are concise, they will be lost in translation. Don’t assume that people will know what you know or want.

Remember, even the law gives relief only as per asked and not beyond it.

So you should be straightforward about what you want and state it in clear terms. This avoids misunderstandings and regrets.

Today, “Ask” is missing; hence there are diagnostic errors and treatment defaults.

Be resolute and have the courage to ask and clearly communicate what you really want.

Unless we ask, we won’t get…

Dr KK Aggarwal

Padma Shri Awardee

President Elect Confederation of Medical Associations in Asia and Oceania   (CMAAO)

Group Editor-in-Chief IJCP Publications

President Heart Care Foundation of India

Past National President IMA