Patient Doesn’t Understand His Diagnosis Until Black Doctor Steps In, Shows ‘Why We Need More Black Men In Medicine’
When you meet with your doctor you have a certain expectation in your head, that after 4 years of undergrad and 3-7 years of residency experience this person will be able to help me. But for black men in America, this is not always the case.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention black men have the lowest life expectancy of any ethnic group in the United States. The reasons vary from high incarceration rates to barriers to medical care access, but even before they are sick black men struggle with receiving preventative care. One study shows that a large reason for this chasm in service is due to a lack of good communication between a patient and the doctor. Black male patients are more likely to discuss their problems and concerns with black doctors and, black doctors are more likely to write additional observations about their black patients.
A black doctor took to write about this serious problem in a Twitter thread. He explained in detail an exchange he had with a black patient, which highlighted exactly why diversity in the medical field is so necessary. The user, @Oga_DoctorBlue was able to identify his patient’s facial expressions and code-switch (the “process of shifting from one linguistic code (a language or dialect) to another, depending on the social context or conversational setting”) in order to better communicate and meet the man’s needs.
Even with increased efforts for diversity in some schools, the numbers for black men applicants in medical school has remained stagnant since 1978.
Scroll down below to read this very important thread and let us know your thoughts in the comments! (Cover image: sixoone)
Image credits: Oga_DoctorBlue
Image credits: Oga_DoctorBlue
Image credits: Oga_DoctorBlue
Image credits: Oga_DoctorBlue
Image credits: Oga_DoctorBlue
Image credits: Oga_DoctorBlue
Image credits: Oga_DoctorBlue
Image credits: Oga_DoctorBlue
The user that shared the thread on Imgur explained how this diversity lesson applied to other fields like teaching
People in the comments were thankful for the thread and shared other forms of diversity that is lacking
Image credits: CoachPrawn
Image credits: Jeanjeanniepa
Image credits: Helene_SWCP
Image credits: AShettle
Image credits: flamingginge
Image credits: KimTruthMatters
Image credits: KimTruthMatters
295Kviews
Share on FacebookHere in Canada, we desperately need indigenous (Native) doctors, AND nurses, AND other medical staff. The way indigenous Canadians are STILL being treated by people the health care system is horrific. In my region, we have a doctor shortage problem. Yet the last 10 times I have heard about a new doctor moving here, they are a white South African doctor who can afford to buy a practice from a retiring doctor. And yes, many of do them bring their colonialist attitudes. The problem is - how do you get people into medical school when their poverty is so great? Seems like only well-off people can afford to even dream about being a doctor one day.
It's not just medicine; we need indigenous people in SO many fields. But medicine is certainly one of the most important because our health is everything.
Load More Replies...I see a wonderful doctor. She is a woman of color, I am white. When we talk, there is no difference in how we communicate. I was in the waiting room when she greeted her next patient, another woman of color. The doctor's entire demeanor changed. She said "Hey girl" and continued a conversation with a very different tone. I actually loved that she adapted to who she was with. I don't know which one was the real her, but I think it was both.
Here's the fundamental error in this story: People are assuming that they have to share some traits with their doctor to ensure they are taken notice of. What is actually true is that you need the right doctor that properly cares about people's problems, which has absolutely nothing to do with their colour, gender, sexuality or whatever.
Appreciate and laud what he did. But let's acknowledge that this would have been a very different story had a white doctor posted about going back into a white patient's room to do a better job than his black attending. The message is to do your job efficiently as a doctor whether the patient is a man, woman, child, black, white, straight, gay etc. That said, diversity is always good
What a casually racist attitude, like only black people can connect with other black people.
I don't see this as black and white , perhaps I'm wrong, because I just do not see it, I see this as something everyone needs, I would be in the same boat if this went down exactly the same to me, I would want more than a thrown out diagnoses just to tell me whats wrong. I don't think a dr has the time to always go into great detail with their patients, that's our medicine in this country. I wish it were different.
I agree. I'm assuming the guy just didn't get it the 1st time and then the doctor asked again and since it was just the two of them, it was more comfortable and the info was cleared out.
Load More Replies...As someone who has been diagnosed with MS, I don't think this is anything to do with being black at all. Hearing something like that, you go into complete shock and don't understand half of the words they're saying. In probably looked like I didn't care too, until a nurse came a spoke to me a few hours later.
It saddens me that the comment with the greatest quantity of upvotes is the one asking what being Black had to do with the situation. Black people exhibit cultural mannerisms just like Latin or Asian people do (obv. not an all-inclusive list). Perhaps this is forgotten because our first language is English? Being able to see within a community, notice the nuances of the people within it, and chameleon your way into that person's world is a tremendously positive gift, especially in the medical world. W.E.B. Du Bois touched on these ideas with "The Veil", flip through the Souls of Black Folk, if you'd like to learn more ;)
I work with special needs children. I often have to "teach" the same thing in many different ways to the same child until I find the method that fits for them. Not because I am anything special but because I won't give up trying different ways until I find the one that works. Teaching is a two way system. Otherwise it is a lecture. It is about communication and understanding. Unfortunately doctors rarely have the time to ensure the patient understands, and frequently resort to technobabble to prevent being questioned and delays in their rounds.
Yeah. This has nothing to do with being black. It's to do with understanding that we're not all from the same walks of life. Some people may lack education to understand the doctors 'common' lingo and needs things simplifying but say nothing so they don't look stupid. Some people could be from another country. Some people might not know much about it etc. Doctors should learn to relate to their patients better.
Diversity is of course important in representing our society. It helps if our emergency services, teachers, welfare and legal services are represented by a diverse range of people. However it is extremely difficult to facilitate that. To ensure there is always someone in your staff that represents the many different facets of our society, be it black, white, hispanic, gay, straight, transsexual etc is almost impossible. What we can do is continue to work on our understanding of different cultures and exercise patience and tolerance, this will hopefully develop over time as we get more used to being a globally integrated society. We can also ensure equal opportunities are given to those groups who are under-presented in certain industries and fields of work, and show them that they can be successful in it, if they so choose.
This is wied. When I was diagnosed with severe cancer, I was shocked. As if it was not about me and my life. For a long time. I'm sure that the colour or gender of the doctor has no importance at all, otherwise in my Country no diagnosys would be accepted.
While reading this, the scene from Airplane was in my head.. "Stewardess, I speak jive. " https://youtu.be/fXSLcYQHqFQ
It's a matter of entire cultural differences among people. I'm not even a doctor, but I have a master's degree in medical translation and we had a whole class on handling exactly this topic and adapting our information and attitude according to the patient's background (whether it be written translation or spoken interpreting). Doctors need more (if they get any) training in interpersonal skills and cultural awareness.
Are some of y'all being deliberately obtuse? This poster made sure to include information about code switching, because that's what doc did. It's not about him being black. It's that doc happened to be black and could communicate effectively with the patient he was seeing. If the patient spoke another language entirely, there would be someone there to interpret, right? That's what this nice doctor did for the patient. The doctor had to not only break down the medical language, but do so in a way in which the patient could understand. Doc is trying to advocate cultural competence and being an effective communicator. And a way to have more effective communication is to have diverse communicators. In this case he was black. It's so weird..."why does it matter he was black?" Because it did for his black patient who was being failed by his medical staff. How could the patient make informed decisions about his care? Jeez.
it doesn't matter what colour you are, a doctor is a doctor. have a look at the bell curve
It's remarkable to see code switch in this situation. It seems we all use it in various ways throughout our everyday lives, never really thinking about how important it is in getting our point across. Cheers to this young black doctor and wish we had many, many more like him!
I don’t understand how this had ANYTHING to do with race. As a nurse, no matter what race my patient is, if I see that they are confused after talking to a doctor or NP, then I explain it to them in terms they can understand. A lot of other medical staff do this as well. It’s not a race or gender issue at all.
Because when a black [anything/fill in the blank] does it... it's the best thing since sliced bread
Load More Replies...I just saw the headline and thought "f**k this buzzfeed b******t".
Here's a thought....why dont we all strive to make sure people of all races and creeds and social stature understand common English language here in the USA. Nobody is doing their children any favors by inventing a different dialect to be used at home than one should use out in society. This isnt just a black issue. Ive known many whites throughout my life who I had a hard time conversing with due to them not understanding many words with more than 4 letters.
English is not the official language of the United States. To say you converse about topics and in the same way in public than you do at home is disingenuous.
Load More Replies...Bit of a racist stint isnt it? Also, how about black female doctors? Not just black male doctors. How about more of every ethnicity?
What about transgender docs? Pre-op or post-op make any difference?? Today's milquetoast society has gone full blown r****d in regards to "inclusivity"
Load More Replies...I can relate to this being the mother of a child with autism. When ever I went to his special needs class, I ran into children with different learning disabilities..ASD, Downs Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy..etc. Each child knew the answers to questions, you just had to ask the right question in the right way to get an answer. I am forever grateful for my son. Without him, I don't think I'd have the skills to communicate with people of various backgrounds and learning levels. It's helped to resolve many conflicts, avoid unnecessary confusion and to ask questions no one thinks to ask.
Since the followup text mentions that patients often prefer same sex doctors, I thought I'd be contrary and mention that I (a man) personally prefer women doctors because I find them more caring, receptive, and overall just more pleasant.
I prefer female dentist because they usually have smaller hands and doesn't feel like a sausage party in my mouth.
Load More Replies...So are you implying you have to dumb down what you are saying in order for black people to understand what you are saying? Sounds pretty racist to me.
There was absolutely no race mentioned in that comment.
Load More Replies...Let's be honest, if a white doc used Ebonics with this black patient to relate, he'd be lambasted. And it seems perfectly fine for black patient to desire a black doc?......yet white patients desiring white docs are deemed racist?
30% of Black babies would be alive if they had had a Black doctor. Actually, this is across the board. Racist white doctors do not give the same quality of care to their Black patients as they do their white ones. White doctors do not believe Black people suffer with pain like whites, even think Black people’s skin is thicker.
How about if your a good doctor, you will figure it out. Has nothing to do with race. F*****g morons that post this s**t.
Do you realize that this article says that black people are mentally incapable of communicating with white people? I haven't read such a racist remark since... well, I don't know, generally I don't read racist c**p at all. From what I read above, it's not the matter of ethnicity, but rather of social strata - the patient most likely came from blue-collar group and could have been intimidated by the formality of other doctors, while the black doctor who had more experience in working with similar people could easily 'find the common language'. Seriously, I'm living in a country with 99,3% white population and I see such problems every day, most commonly when people from secluded rural areas interact with people born and raised in large cities or when people from intelligentsia families have to interact with people inner city blue-collar workers. So, it's the matter of class/strata more than ethnicity.
I don't get why he needed a black doctor to help him understand . Was he incapable of saying, 'can you tell me again in non-doctor speak? Thank you'. Like any profession, sometimes they forget not everyone knows what they know. Why does it need to be a race issue?
This isn't a Black/White issue, this is an education issue - two fold. Firstly, the lack of education on the patients behalf. Secondly, (and more importantly) the lack of education on the doctors behalf; a large part of medicine is being able to relate to your patient, and communicate with them in a way they understand. I don't think we need to bring identity politics into it.
There is a very old saying that you can lead a horse to water but you can't make them drink. As long as we keep pushing identity politics we will continue to have people coming to school or into doctors' offices etc with a chip on their shoulder. If you go through life filled with suspicion and passivity you are going to suffer the consequences. You would think that years of watching television would be enough to teach even the most clueless person the rudiments of conversation. Maybe they should have Mr. Rogers playing in the waiting rooms so the patients can learn how to communicate.
The truth is there are different medical treatments for different races. My husband was just put on a high blood pressure medication. Our pharmacist told us Asians are put on a different high blood medication. It's genetics
I call BS. Nothing to do with white/black or dialect. It has to do with understanding your patient and being able to effectively communicate at their level. When someone clearly doesn't understand, you need to identify that and be able to simplify.
It ain't about black or white. It's about meeting the patient on their own level. Which you, good man, did. You're probably part of the 1% who do that. Which shows that you really care. Ofc it's easier for you to do this since you both share the dame culture in one way, i.e. the "switch". But I'm sure that you could pull that off with any skin color as long as you do it with humanity in mind.
Honestly-what does this have anything to do with race? I get that there was a response to it, but what about the title of this article? “Why we need more black people in medicine”? Wtf? Not being racist at all but that could’ve been ANY race. Not just black. Mexican, White, Asian, anything. All there needed to be was a doctor who was able to explain his condition better and in a way that wasn’t so complicated (if that was the case). Although I am glad someone explained it better to him. Good doctor.
It's really not that difficult & should be become mandatory that all hospital staff & disciplines learn to acquire & utilize some sympathy & just simply spend a bit a time one on one w/ a patient. When it comes to being being in hospital understanding is invaluable to a patient. Fear, anxiety leads to racing minds wondering exactly what is going wrong w/ me, am i dying & if so how soon, how painful will it be, how long will i suffer. Dr. Blue you being able to explain in frank plain speak with this man about his actual situation instead of leaving him confused, esp. w/ no one close to him there to help him. Doubt the race & lingo was salient as much as you're empathy, attentiveness & close participant observation of the patient's reactions. It's always a huge relief once someone in medical authority simply explains & reassures a patient exactly what is actually going on rather than being left alone in the dark. Great work. from a patient who has been there, God bless you both
Code-switching isn't necessarily a race-related thing. I'm an EMT and I'm white but I live in WV and if I have a patient that uses a lot of country slang then I switch into that mode and communicate like that so I can get my point across better or easier. It's not even something I do on purpose usually, it just kind of happens. I grew up around here so I can talk like that or I can tone my accent down and use proper English lol...whatever I need to do. :)
Doctors need to start seeing their patients as people, not dollar signs. They have to explain things in a way that people will understand. They have to stop talking down to their patients. I had a problem that I went to see the doctor about, because I had no idea if it was a possible symptom of a much larger problem. As soon as I start explaining it to him, without a word, he just gets up and WALKS OUT. Like, wtf!? He sends in the doctor in training, who actually takes the time to explain to me that the medication I'm on can cause this to happen far more often than without, and that it's probably nothing to worry about, but gave me a quick checkup anyway. I've been on this medication for more than 10 years, and nobody has bothered explaining that to me. Things that I should look out for. Not once. I'm a human being and would really appreciate a basic level of respect and compassion.
I'm a volunteer patient advocate. I spend hours a day translating Medical into English. Sometimes for patients at teaching hospitals (where the docs tend to be worse at seeing people instead of "cases" in my experience). And many people fear being mocked for asking questions. Many many people fear that. For gender, racial, cultural, etc., reasons. Unfortunately, sometimes they are mocked for "ignorance". I've heard it, and I report it, and we need medical personnel to hold *each other* responsible. Admin won't, alas.
So the moral of the story is that this guy couldn't possibly understand what was going on unless the doctor dumbed it down and talked in a stereotypical fashion? Or maybe the patient just wasn't taking anything in because he was scared and there were too many people in the room. He just need someone, anyone, to treat him like a person, is all.
I get this. I'm in a rural area but I have a higher education and work in a professional field. The way i speak to colleagues is slightly different in tone and verbage than how i speak to neighbors having a beer or making small talk. It's not really intentional, or just happens. I can relate to both types of people and both can relate to me.... but they can't necessarily relate to each other.
Verbage? Or verbiage? Just that I have not come across the former so am curious.
Load More Replies...I chalk it up to bedside manner. A doctor who listens to the patient, and I don't mean just words. I doctor who will develop a bond with a patient who requires attention. I have encountered doctors who meet the the patient and present the details as a quick summary and move on. How great was it to watch a doctor meet a patient for the first time and spend time interacting and conversing with the patient before even getting "medical"
Yeah, nothing to do with race.....alot to do with MDs not speaking plain English to people
This is one reason all my docs are female. We speak the same language. BTW I am a nurse (retired now, but you are always a nurse!) and I do agree with the tweet about having to go in and clear up what the doc has said on his flying visit. Female docs do tend to stay with the patients longer and talk with them one on one a lot more. I noticed that even with students, interns, and residents when I worked in teaching hospitals.
I used to be in medicine, worked a lot of ER... and other areas... people are scared and not processing much of what is going on. Things are fast paced, different people are flying in and out... and if one is lying there and isn’t medically savvy, much of what is asked of them or told TO them goes right over their head. Even in pre-admission testing or other areas, if one isn’t able to do as this wonderful man has done, patients are “lost in space”. I’ve learned to speak THEIR language. To speak “country”... “geek”... “old person”... “teenager”... or to learn whatever language they spoke’s terms in order to convey whatever was needed. No one should ever have medical care and leave not knowing what the Hell is/was going on!!!
I love this! I'm a social worker and I work in a hospital. It's not just race that makes a difference. Socioeconomic status and things like addiction play a major part too. I don't know many times I've seen someone think a patient didn't care or jump to negative conclusions and I'm like you got to think of it from their perspective. Especially as a social worker, a lot of people have had negative experiences with social workers and assume we do one thing, take children, but I work in a hospital. I have no interest in taking anyone's children, but they don't know that unless I tell them and get on their level. As a professional sometimes you have to get out of that mindset and meet the patient on their level.
Wow, you get on their level? You deserve a trophy. As a professional, you should learn how to use better words to describe people’s needs. Trying to say that your “level” is better, isn’t going to get you anywhere.
Load More Replies...Some jobs do not allow you to relate to customer and have to use 'robot'' speech and phrases, which can prove infuriating for the customer. If only ya can talk like the customer to understand and be understood.
Some of the comments say that they should hire more "disabled doctors". Well what do you mean by disabled? Being in a wheelchair? Being an amputee? And which area do you imagine them working in? I'm not saying there shouldn't be doctors with disabilities. My point is that the statement to just "hire more disabled doctors" is too broad, undefined, and doesn't count in the logistics.
In all honesty, this is why I want to get into mental health as a peer support worker. I have the brains to go higher, but peer support is where I can do the most good. You see, I have DID and know from personal experience that not only do professionals (even those who "specialise") have no freaking idea what it's like to live with, they also don't understand that the "outbursts" and "self-harming" and "aggression" are none of these things at all, and trying to tell them that just gets you ostracised as a trouble-making attention-seeker. So yeah, people like me need people like me. Same principle applied differently. The guy that got through to me didn't have DID, but he did have schizophrenia and knew exactly what I meant when I tried to say that nobody gives a s**t. He'd been through the system too, the "we'll drug you up and send you home to sit on your a*s and twiddle your thumbs because we're gonna write you off and assume that you're beyond any kind of normal life" system.
Those with the brains to go higher don't tell strangers that they have the brains to go higher.
Load More Replies...There may be other sites more to your liking. I can't cite them, but you can search for them, based on what your interests are. Personally, I like this kind of content (social issues), as I learn from it. Social issues interest me.
Load More Replies...Here in Canada, we desperately need indigenous (Native) doctors, AND nurses, AND other medical staff. The way indigenous Canadians are STILL being treated by people the health care system is horrific. In my region, we have a doctor shortage problem. Yet the last 10 times I have heard about a new doctor moving here, they are a white South African doctor who can afford to buy a practice from a retiring doctor. And yes, many of do them bring their colonialist attitudes. The problem is - how do you get people into medical school when their poverty is so great? Seems like only well-off people can afford to even dream about being a doctor one day.
It's not just medicine; we need indigenous people in SO many fields. But medicine is certainly one of the most important because our health is everything.
Load More Replies...I see a wonderful doctor. She is a woman of color, I am white. When we talk, there is no difference in how we communicate. I was in the waiting room when she greeted her next patient, another woman of color. The doctor's entire demeanor changed. She said "Hey girl" and continued a conversation with a very different tone. I actually loved that she adapted to who she was with. I don't know which one was the real her, but I think it was both.
Here's the fundamental error in this story: People are assuming that they have to share some traits with their doctor to ensure they are taken notice of. What is actually true is that you need the right doctor that properly cares about people's problems, which has absolutely nothing to do with their colour, gender, sexuality or whatever.
Appreciate and laud what he did. But let's acknowledge that this would have been a very different story had a white doctor posted about going back into a white patient's room to do a better job than his black attending. The message is to do your job efficiently as a doctor whether the patient is a man, woman, child, black, white, straight, gay etc. That said, diversity is always good
What a casually racist attitude, like only black people can connect with other black people.
I don't see this as black and white , perhaps I'm wrong, because I just do not see it, I see this as something everyone needs, I would be in the same boat if this went down exactly the same to me, I would want more than a thrown out diagnoses just to tell me whats wrong. I don't think a dr has the time to always go into great detail with their patients, that's our medicine in this country. I wish it were different.
I agree. I'm assuming the guy just didn't get it the 1st time and then the doctor asked again and since it was just the two of them, it was more comfortable and the info was cleared out.
Load More Replies...As someone who has been diagnosed with MS, I don't think this is anything to do with being black at all. Hearing something like that, you go into complete shock and don't understand half of the words they're saying. In probably looked like I didn't care too, until a nurse came a spoke to me a few hours later.
It saddens me that the comment with the greatest quantity of upvotes is the one asking what being Black had to do with the situation. Black people exhibit cultural mannerisms just like Latin or Asian people do (obv. not an all-inclusive list). Perhaps this is forgotten because our first language is English? Being able to see within a community, notice the nuances of the people within it, and chameleon your way into that person's world is a tremendously positive gift, especially in the medical world. W.E.B. Du Bois touched on these ideas with "The Veil", flip through the Souls of Black Folk, if you'd like to learn more ;)
I work with special needs children. I often have to "teach" the same thing in many different ways to the same child until I find the method that fits for them. Not because I am anything special but because I won't give up trying different ways until I find the one that works. Teaching is a two way system. Otherwise it is a lecture. It is about communication and understanding. Unfortunately doctors rarely have the time to ensure the patient understands, and frequently resort to technobabble to prevent being questioned and delays in their rounds.
Yeah. This has nothing to do with being black. It's to do with understanding that we're not all from the same walks of life. Some people may lack education to understand the doctors 'common' lingo and needs things simplifying but say nothing so they don't look stupid. Some people could be from another country. Some people might not know much about it etc. Doctors should learn to relate to their patients better.
Diversity is of course important in representing our society. It helps if our emergency services, teachers, welfare and legal services are represented by a diverse range of people. However it is extremely difficult to facilitate that. To ensure there is always someone in your staff that represents the many different facets of our society, be it black, white, hispanic, gay, straight, transsexual etc is almost impossible. What we can do is continue to work on our understanding of different cultures and exercise patience and tolerance, this will hopefully develop over time as we get more used to being a globally integrated society. We can also ensure equal opportunities are given to those groups who are under-presented in certain industries and fields of work, and show them that they can be successful in it, if they so choose.
This is wied. When I was diagnosed with severe cancer, I was shocked. As if it was not about me and my life. For a long time. I'm sure that the colour or gender of the doctor has no importance at all, otherwise in my Country no diagnosys would be accepted.
While reading this, the scene from Airplane was in my head.. "Stewardess, I speak jive. " https://youtu.be/fXSLcYQHqFQ
It's a matter of entire cultural differences among people. I'm not even a doctor, but I have a master's degree in medical translation and we had a whole class on handling exactly this topic and adapting our information and attitude according to the patient's background (whether it be written translation or spoken interpreting). Doctors need more (if they get any) training in interpersonal skills and cultural awareness.
Are some of y'all being deliberately obtuse? This poster made sure to include information about code switching, because that's what doc did. It's not about him being black. It's that doc happened to be black and could communicate effectively with the patient he was seeing. If the patient spoke another language entirely, there would be someone there to interpret, right? That's what this nice doctor did for the patient. The doctor had to not only break down the medical language, but do so in a way in which the patient could understand. Doc is trying to advocate cultural competence and being an effective communicator. And a way to have more effective communication is to have diverse communicators. In this case he was black. It's so weird..."why does it matter he was black?" Because it did for his black patient who was being failed by his medical staff. How could the patient make informed decisions about his care? Jeez.
it doesn't matter what colour you are, a doctor is a doctor. have a look at the bell curve
It's remarkable to see code switch in this situation. It seems we all use it in various ways throughout our everyday lives, never really thinking about how important it is in getting our point across. Cheers to this young black doctor and wish we had many, many more like him!
I don’t understand how this had ANYTHING to do with race. As a nurse, no matter what race my patient is, if I see that they are confused after talking to a doctor or NP, then I explain it to them in terms they can understand. A lot of other medical staff do this as well. It’s not a race or gender issue at all.
Because when a black [anything/fill in the blank] does it... it's the best thing since sliced bread
Load More Replies...I just saw the headline and thought "f**k this buzzfeed b******t".
Here's a thought....why dont we all strive to make sure people of all races and creeds and social stature understand common English language here in the USA. Nobody is doing their children any favors by inventing a different dialect to be used at home than one should use out in society. This isnt just a black issue. Ive known many whites throughout my life who I had a hard time conversing with due to them not understanding many words with more than 4 letters.
English is not the official language of the United States. To say you converse about topics and in the same way in public than you do at home is disingenuous.
Load More Replies...Bit of a racist stint isnt it? Also, how about black female doctors? Not just black male doctors. How about more of every ethnicity?
What about transgender docs? Pre-op or post-op make any difference?? Today's milquetoast society has gone full blown r****d in regards to "inclusivity"
Load More Replies...I can relate to this being the mother of a child with autism. When ever I went to his special needs class, I ran into children with different learning disabilities..ASD, Downs Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy..etc. Each child knew the answers to questions, you just had to ask the right question in the right way to get an answer. I am forever grateful for my son. Without him, I don't think I'd have the skills to communicate with people of various backgrounds and learning levels. It's helped to resolve many conflicts, avoid unnecessary confusion and to ask questions no one thinks to ask.
Since the followup text mentions that patients often prefer same sex doctors, I thought I'd be contrary and mention that I (a man) personally prefer women doctors because I find them more caring, receptive, and overall just more pleasant.
I prefer female dentist because they usually have smaller hands and doesn't feel like a sausage party in my mouth.
Load More Replies...So are you implying you have to dumb down what you are saying in order for black people to understand what you are saying? Sounds pretty racist to me.
There was absolutely no race mentioned in that comment.
Load More Replies...Let's be honest, if a white doc used Ebonics with this black patient to relate, he'd be lambasted. And it seems perfectly fine for black patient to desire a black doc?......yet white patients desiring white docs are deemed racist?
30% of Black babies would be alive if they had had a Black doctor. Actually, this is across the board. Racist white doctors do not give the same quality of care to their Black patients as they do their white ones. White doctors do not believe Black people suffer with pain like whites, even think Black people’s skin is thicker.
How about if your a good doctor, you will figure it out. Has nothing to do with race. F*****g morons that post this s**t.
Do you realize that this article says that black people are mentally incapable of communicating with white people? I haven't read such a racist remark since... well, I don't know, generally I don't read racist c**p at all. From what I read above, it's not the matter of ethnicity, but rather of social strata - the patient most likely came from blue-collar group and could have been intimidated by the formality of other doctors, while the black doctor who had more experience in working with similar people could easily 'find the common language'. Seriously, I'm living in a country with 99,3% white population and I see such problems every day, most commonly when people from secluded rural areas interact with people born and raised in large cities or when people from intelligentsia families have to interact with people inner city blue-collar workers. So, it's the matter of class/strata more than ethnicity.
I don't get why he needed a black doctor to help him understand . Was he incapable of saying, 'can you tell me again in non-doctor speak? Thank you'. Like any profession, sometimes they forget not everyone knows what they know. Why does it need to be a race issue?
This isn't a Black/White issue, this is an education issue - two fold. Firstly, the lack of education on the patients behalf. Secondly, (and more importantly) the lack of education on the doctors behalf; a large part of medicine is being able to relate to your patient, and communicate with them in a way they understand. I don't think we need to bring identity politics into it.
There is a very old saying that you can lead a horse to water but you can't make them drink. As long as we keep pushing identity politics we will continue to have people coming to school or into doctors' offices etc with a chip on their shoulder. If you go through life filled with suspicion and passivity you are going to suffer the consequences. You would think that years of watching television would be enough to teach even the most clueless person the rudiments of conversation. Maybe they should have Mr. Rogers playing in the waiting rooms so the patients can learn how to communicate.
The truth is there are different medical treatments for different races. My husband was just put on a high blood pressure medication. Our pharmacist told us Asians are put on a different high blood medication. It's genetics
I call BS. Nothing to do with white/black or dialect. It has to do with understanding your patient and being able to effectively communicate at their level. When someone clearly doesn't understand, you need to identify that and be able to simplify.
It ain't about black or white. It's about meeting the patient on their own level. Which you, good man, did. You're probably part of the 1% who do that. Which shows that you really care. Ofc it's easier for you to do this since you both share the dame culture in one way, i.e. the "switch". But I'm sure that you could pull that off with any skin color as long as you do it with humanity in mind.
Honestly-what does this have anything to do with race? I get that there was a response to it, but what about the title of this article? “Why we need more black people in medicine”? Wtf? Not being racist at all but that could’ve been ANY race. Not just black. Mexican, White, Asian, anything. All there needed to be was a doctor who was able to explain his condition better and in a way that wasn’t so complicated (if that was the case). Although I am glad someone explained it better to him. Good doctor.
It's really not that difficult & should be become mandatory that all hospital staff & disciplines learn to acquire & utilize some sympathy & just simply spend a bit a time one on one w/ a patient. When it comes to being being in hospital understanding is invaluable to a patient. Fear, anxiety leads to racing minds wondering exactly what is going wrong w/ me, am i dying & if so how soon, how painful will it be, how long will i suffer. Dr. Blue you being able to explain in frank plain speak with this man about his actual situation instead of leaving him confused, esp. w/ no one close to him there to help him. Doubt the race & lingo was salient as much as you're empathy, attentiveness & close participant observation of the patient's reactions. It's always a huge relief once someone in medical authority simply explains & reassures a patient exactly what is actually going on rather than being left alone in the dark. Great work. from a patient who has been there, God bless you both
Code-switching isn't necessarily a race-related thing. I'm an EMT and I'm white but I live in WV and if I have a patient that uses a lot of country slang then I switch into that mode and communicate like that so I can get my point across better or easier. It's not even something I do on purpose usually, it just kind of happens. I grew up around here so I can talk like that or I can tone my accent down and use proper English lol...whatever I need to do. :)
Doctors need to start seeing their patients as people, not dollar signs. They have to explain things in a way that people will understand. They have to stop talking down to their patients. I had a problem that I went to see the doctor about, because I had no idea if it was a possible symptom of a much larger problem. As soon as I start explaining it to him, without a word, he just gets up and WALKS OUT. Like, wtf!? He sends in the doctor in training, who actually takes the time to explain to me that the medication I'm on can cause this to happen far more often than without, and that it's probably nothing to worry about, but gave me a quick checkup anyway. I've been on this medication for more than 10 years, and nobody has bothered explaining that to me. Things that I should look out for. Not once. I'm a human being and would really appreciate a basic level of respect and compassion.
I'm a volunteer patient advocate. I spend hours a day translating Medical into English. Sometimes for patients at teaching hospitals (where the docs tend to be worse at seeing people instead of "cases" in my experience). And many people fear being mocked for asking questions. Many many people fear that. For gender, racial, cultural, etc., reasons. Unfortunately, sometimes they are mocked for "ignorance". I've heard it, and I report it, and we need medical personnel to hold *each other* responsible. Admin won't, alas.
So the moral of the story is that this guy couldn't possibly understand what was going on unless the doctor dumbed it down and talked in a stereotypical fashion? Or maybe the patient just wasn't taking anything in because he was scared and there were too many people in the room. He just need someone, anyone, to treat him like a person, is all.
I get this. I'm in a rural area but I have a higher education and work in a professional field. The way i speak to colleagues is slightly different in tone and verbage than how i speak to neighbors having a beer or making small talk. It's not really intentional, or just happens. I can relate to both types of people and both can relate to me.... but they can't necessarily relate to each other.
Verbage? Or verbiage? Just that I have not come across the former so am curious.
Load More Replies...I chalk it up to bedside manner. A doctor who listens to the patient, and I don't mean just words. I doctor who will develop a bond with a patient who requires attention. I have encountered doctors who meet the the patient and present the details as a quick summary and move on. How great was it to watch a doctor meet a patient for the first time and spend time interacting and conversing with the patient before even getting "medical"
Yeah, nothing to do with race.....alot to do with MDs not speaking plain English to people
This is one reason all my docs are female. We speak the same language. BTW I am a nurse (retired now, but you are always a nurse!) and I do agree with the tweet about having to go in and clear up what the doc has said on his flying visit. Female docs do tend to stay with the patients longer and talk with them one on one a lot more. I noticed that even with students, interns, and residents when I worked in teaching hospitals.
I used to be in medicine, worked a lot of ER... and other areas... people are scared and not processing much of what is going on. Things are fast paced, different people are flying in and out... and if one is lying there and isn’t medically savvy, much of what is asked of them or told TO them goes right over their head. Even in pre-admission testing or other areas, if one isn’t able to do as this wonderful man has done, patients are “lost in space”. I’ve learned to speak THEIR language. To speak “country”... “geek”... “old person”... “teenager”... or to learn whatever language they spoke’s terms in order to convey whatever was needed. No one should ever have medical care and leave not knowing what the Hell is/was going on!!!
I love this! I'm a social worker and I work in a hospital. It's not just race that makes a difference. Socioeconomic status and things like addiction play a major part too. I don't know many times I've seen someone think a patient didn't care or jump to negative conclusions and I'm like you got to think of it from their perspective. Especially as a social worker, a lot of people have had negative experiences with social workers and assume we do one thing, take children, but I work in a hospital. I have no interest in taking anyone's children, but they don't know that unless I tell them and get on their level. As a professional sometimes you have to get out of that mindset and meet the patient on their level.
Wow, you get on their level? You deserve a trophy. As a professional, you should learn how to use better words to describe people’s needs. Trying to say that your “level” is better, isn’t going to get you anywhere.
Load More Replies...Some jobs do not allow you to relate to customer and have to use 'robot'' speech and phrases, which can prove infuriating for the customer. If only ya can talk like the customer to understand and be understood.
Some of the comments say that they should hire more "disabled doctors". Well what do you mean by disabled? Being in a wheelchair? Being an amputee? And which area do you imagine them working in? I'm not saying there shouldn't be doctors with disabilities. My point is that the statement to just "hire more disabled doctors" is too broad, undefined, and doesn't count in the logistics.
In all honesty, this is why I want to get into mental health as a peer support worker. I have the brains to go higher, but peer support is where I can do the most good. You see, I have DID and know from personal experience that not only do professionals (even those who "specialise") have no freaking idea what it's like to live with, they also don't understand that the "outbursts" and "self-harming" and "aggression" are none of these things at all, and trying to tell them that just gets you ostracised as a trouble-making attention-seeker. So yeah, people like me need people like me. Same principle applied differently. The guy that got through to me didn't have DID, but he did have schizophrenia and knew exactly what I meant when I tried to say that nobody gives a s**t. He'd been through the system too, the "we'll drug you up and send you home to sit on your a*s and twiddle your thumbs because we're gonna write you off and assume that you're beyond any kind of normal life" system.
Those with the brains to go higher don't tell strangers that they have the brains to go higher.
Load More Replies...There may be other sites more to your liking. I can't cite them, but you can search for them, based on what your interests are. Personally, I like this kind of content (social issues), as I learn from it. Social issues interest me.
Load More Replies...
221
109