I was recently hospitalized
unexpectedly for a few days after orthopedic surgery and realized that being a
patient ought to be part of every doctor’s continuing medical education.
Watching from the other side
of the curtain—quite literally—allowed me to reflect on ways to be a better
doctor.
During my stay my roommate
(on the other side of the curtain) was an elderly Haitian woman who only spoke
her native Creole. Being a friend of
Haiti, I tried to strike up conversation in French with her, but to no
avail. She really only understood and
spoke Creole.
So it was stunning to hear a doctor come to visit her on her first night there after a late arrival. Here is what I overheard:
Doc: How are you?
So it was stunning to hear a doctor come to visit her on her first night there after a late arrival. Here is what I overheard:
Doc: How are you?
Patient: Oui, oui
Doctor: So Tomorrow Brain
MRI.
Patient: oui, oui
Doctor: OK, manana.
Thereafter when personnel
would come to speak to her I listened and would offer the information that she
did not speak English. The more
compassionate ones would bring in a special phone that allowed a three way
conversation with a Creole translator. Doctors
in this situation did not seem to be the compassionate ones. Were they too busy with more important or
urgent things to do or just making assumptions about the patient without
requiring her input ?
Then there are the sheer
discomforts and indignities of being a patient.
I kept my own pyjamas so as not to walk the halls in a tattered, faded,
over-laundered and totally unstylish cotton gown. And the difficulty of sleeping in a place where
the lights are on and personnel walk in and out adds up to a hard night followed by a
disappointing morning ushered in by undrinkable coffee. These small things don’t really seem they should
matter when we are studying the protocols for cardiac arrest or the
differential diagnosis of fever, but on a day to day level--the only one a lot
of patients really know and relate to--these little things are everything. They
may be what separates the patient from her wellness.
I only wish I had the nerve
to ask to be admitted as a true decoy and see how it would go and what I could teach
medical students who are young and eager to get it right. Something to think about.
You're definitely right!!!
ReplyDeleteThis blog provides computer tips & tricks to manage all type of projects.
ReplyDeleteIt's a venturing forward stone for each youngster's learning. We should recognize this to have the better outcomes. This http://radiology.residencypersonalstatements.net/ site from their expert compose and got numerous thoughts.
ReplyDelete