Explain a condition, a scan result, or why movement helps, in language that reduces fear instead of adding to it — the reframe, the honest uncertainty, and the analogy that does not accidentally frighten. Use when asked to explain a diagnosis to a patient, explain scan findings, reassure someone who is afraid to move, or write patient-facing education material. Produces the explanation in plain language, the reframe of frightening terminology, the honest uncertainty statement, the what-you-can-do section, and a teach-back check. A communication framework for a licensed clinician; the clinical content is theirs.
“Explain a disc bulge to a patient who is terrified”“How do I explain scan findings without frightening them?”“Patient was told they have bone on bone — what do I say?”“Write patient education about why movement helps”“How do I reassure someone honestly when I am not certain?”
What to give it
▸What the patient has been told — and by whom, since you may be contradicting a trusted source
▸The finding or condition — what needs explaining, including any imaging report wording
▸What they believe it means — their interpretation, which is what you are actually addressing
▸What they are afraid of — usually more specific than 'my back'; often a person they know, or an outcome they picture
▸The clinical position — what the treating clinician's actual assessment and advice are
✅ The bar it holds itself to
Every skill in this library self-verifies — these are this skill's own quality checks, straight from its definition.
✓The patient's own interpretation was elicited before it was corrected
✓The frightening term is explained directly rather than avoided
✓Base rates are used only where genuinely established
✓Reassurance is accurate, not convenient
✓Analogies imply adaptation rather than damage
✓Uncertainty is stated and normalised
✓The explanation ends with agency and a bounded return criterion
✓Teach-back confirms the reframe landed
⚠️ What it refuses to do
**Avoiding the scary word.** Confirms that it is unspeakable and therefore terrible.
**Overclaiming reassurance.** One contradiction and every other thing you said is discarded.
**'Wear and tear' as an analogy.** Implies a finite, spending-down structure and reliably increases fear.
**Hiding uncertainty.** Patients cope with 'we do not know' better than with confident answers that fail.
**Explaining without asking what they believe.** You correct the wrong misconception.
Install
npx pm-claude-skills add --agent claude # or codex · cursor · gemini · hermes
# or one-line MCP (every skill, any client):
claude mcp add pm-skills -- npx -y pm-claude-skills-mcp