There is a lot of debate about how to give bad news to a patient in a culturally respectful manner. Some cultures value direct communication without any frills. Other cultures prefer to be more subtle. In certain cultures, the family will not want the patient to ever know the bad news about their condition. What […]
Microlecture 017: The Role Of Therapeutic Touch
My colleague, Prof. Abraham Verghese, (a big proponent of the physical exam) jokingly told me once that the modern-day doctor needs an X-ray to diagnose an amputation! What is the need to do a physical exam in a clinical encounter? After all, we get so much information about the patient from lab work, imaging studies, […]
Microlecture 004: Talk Directly To The Patient
This micro-lecture addresses patient rights. When the patient has Limited English Proficiency, how can we ensure their right to access all the information about their healthcare? Don’t they still have the right to take advantage of the therapeutic bond that should exist between every doctor and the patient? How can we decrease the psychological distance […]
Microlecture 016: How To Make The Medical Interpreter Feel Respected and Engaged
How can we make the MI feel more included in the clinical encounter? Lot of times, the medical interpreter is walking into a sensitive situation and they can be caught off guard and feel disconnected from the encounter. How can we ensure that the Medical Interpreter (MI) feels more included in the clinical encounter? Often, […]
Microlecture 015: What are the 2 Things a Medical Interpreter Needs to Know Before the Clinical Encounter
In any clinical encounter involving a patient with Limited English Proficiency, both the clinician and the medical interpreter need to prepare for the encounter. The MI needs to know two things: a. Standard logistics issue: which venue, which patient and what is the subspecialty so they can come prepared to interpret the medical terms. b. […]
