DR BOSIRE: Same jargon, no understanding

We have characterized the last few weeks. by social media jokes about Cuban doctors and the expected language barrier between them and patients.

The magnitude of the problem struck at home when attempts to interview them on television failed miserably.

Spanish-speaking physicians have a rudimentary understanding of English, which has raised the question of how quickly they can master local languages ​​for their two-year contract.

The need for translators has become all the more real, and with it the dilemma of maintaining the patient

Far from Cuban doctors, how generally do physicians communicate with their patients?

Communication is the cornerstone of a healthy doctor-patient relationship. Yet, it often happens that we are wrong.

A few years ago, while working in the outpatient department, I received samples of drugs from representatives of pharmaceutical companies looking to market their brands. At one point, I accumulated four months of antihypertensive drugs (from different companies) that my aunt used. When my cousin visited, I asked her to pbad them to my aunt, with written instructions on how to take them.

Two weeks later, my cousin called to report that my aunt had developed constant vertigo. 19659006] Imagine my shock when I discovered that she had taken all four different tablets at the same time!

Along the way, the instructions had become confusing and my aunt did not understand that the four packs, despite the different brand names, were all the same drugs.

She had to take a pack a month for four months. She badumed that they were different drugs to take at the same time, so took four times the required dose!

Such simple instructions endangered him as his blood pressure fell precipitously, causing vertigo. Fortunately, she responded well by restoring the normal dosage.

Scientists are generally expected to make terrible communicators

They continue again and again, explaining in scientific terms, forgetting that their audience has no idea what they are talking about.

Conversely, in an effort to simplify language, the explanation is too simplified to the point where the original meaning is lost and the patient misunderstands the doctor.

A common example is when a patient with an infection is sent to the laboratory to do a complete blood count. In the presence of a bacterial infection, white blood cells will increase considerably.

Most patients consider the report to mean that they have bacteria in their blood, but the test simply shows how white blood cells increase in response to an infection,

One expects to that white blood cells increase if the patient has angina or urinary tract infection or meningitis. On the other hand, the bacteria present in the blood is a deadly threat that can not be taken lightly.

The cost of inadequate communication can not be minimized. Successful management of chronic medical conditions is highly dependent on communication. Patients should be encouraged to participate fully in the decision-making process regarding their care. They must select treatment options from an informed position, knowing all the implications of their decision; and do not let their doctor decide for them.

This applies even to children, who often rely on their parents and guardians to give their consent to their care.

It is imperative to explain to the sick child what is happening to them in a manner appropriate to their age. A visit to pediatric oncology services will amaze you.

These little ones are smart enough to master their anticancer drugs, up to the complex scientific names!
HIV care has been successful because communication, patient education and patient participation in decision-making has been well thought out and implemented.

Patients understand their disease, progression, drug, side effects and periodic tests to badess their well-being

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Many are not satisfied, do not understand the impact of lifestyle choices on their illness and do not understand the role of various care plans.

] Many doctors refer patients to nutritionists for advice on diet, but do not effectively communicate the role of nutrition in the overall outcome of their care.

It is therefore difficult for the patient to make the decision to eat, which leads to many attempts at dietary modification.

A doctor should explain to his patients their condition in a language that they can understand. One is not an effective communicator until one can explain to the 80-year-old grandmother what afflicts them, why they have to undergo certain tests and the planned treatment and its impact on their condition.

There is no one old, too young or too illiterate to understand what is wrong with their bodies. After all, they happen to own these bodies!

As caregivers, we can speak the same language with our patients; but it is not a guarantee that we communicate!