¶ … Health-Related Interactions:
The cases of Todd vs. Mr. Gomez
When dealing with a situation in which communications between a patient and a physician is difficult -- for example, if the patient has limited English proficiency or is deaf -- inevitably barriers are created which prevent a fully patient-centered communications process. Physicians often cite limited time as a reason for being insufficiently patient-focused. In the case study of Todd, the interaction was challenging because of the lack of the presence of an ASL interpreter. This was a lose-lose situation for both the patient and the physician. The physician was frustrated because of the extra time needed to complete the interaction by writing everything down; the patient was frustrated because of the fact the physician often misunderstood him and tried to lip-read as a shortcut or ask him yes and no questions which did not sufficiently address his concerns.
Although this was done to help the patient, given the physician's frustrations with their limited interactions and it did yield some important information about the patient's medical history, it is unjust that a patient merely because he is deaf should not have the same privacy as someone who is not hearing impaired. The physician seems to have engaged in a 'physician-centered' rather than a collaborative interaction -- the need for expediency were put above the rights of the patient.
The case of Mr. Gomez, Megan, and Lydia at least involved a translator and allowed Mr. Gomez to communicate more fully. However, a problem arose given that Megan is a Spanish language interpreter and Mr. Gomez was hard of hearing. This involved Mr. Gomez having to lip-read what Megan was saying, who then conveyed what…
