Have you ever had an experience where you heard something differently from the way someone else heard it? I’ve met with patients who, when asked what type of diabetes they have answer, “I don’t have diabetes. No one has ever told me I have diabetes.” Then they tell me the medications they take, which are for diabetes. I always have to wonder if the health care provider didn’t tell them they have diabetes, or if they didn’t hear it. It could have been a combination of both!
I was watching an episode of Grey’s Anatomy last night (we are watching it from the beginning – currently on Season 11). There was a scene where two surgeons were “rounding” on a patient. They were in the patient’s room, next to the patient’s bed, speaking as if to the patient and her husband, yet using a language I’m guessing only they could understand. I’m a nurse and I could barely understand the words they were using. I wondered if the patient or her husband (in real life) would have asked somebody to translate what the surgeons had just said.
I strongly recommend having a family member or friend with you whenever you go to a health-related appointment, or if you are hospitalized and the providers are “rounding.” If that’s not possible, ask a nurse to come into the room and listen to what the providers say and then explain it in terms that are more understandable after they leave. If that’s not possible, take notes and ask someone to explain it later. If that’s not possible, ask the provider to slow down and use words and explanations you understand. It’s your body, your health, and your decisions, so be sure you understand what’s being said.