Regardless of where we practice medicine, it is up to us as individual physicians to ensure the highest quality of care that we can deliver to our patients. At each location, the demography and cultural composition of our patients have revealed different approaches to language barriers, self-understanding of disease, and even the perception of pain.
As a physician, I wrote a recent essay that describes the obstacles I believe most significantly impede the adoption of standards of healthcare delivery in these diverse settings.
I have obtained Six Sigma and LEAN certification and patient safety curricula, and published work on outcomes-based research studies and clinical trials on informatics tools in peer-reviewed journals.
Perioperative Workflow Optimization with Lean management system
Continuous Practice Improvement with Six Sigma DMAIC
Effective communication with our patients is a cornerstone of our medical practice. .
☝️We spend more time talking to, talking about, or entering data about our patients then any other tasks.
☝️Language predominance is different based on geographical locations. In Southern California, many Community Hospitals hosts patients that are Spanish speaking only.
☝️ Therefore, I will do whatever is in my power to bridge the gap and improve my direct rapport with these patients.
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While applications such as @googletranslates and #pixelbuds are effective in the translation of short, common phrases, applications such as @canopy_nyc Canopy Speak offer specific phrases for medical professionals in various languages. Of course, there is @rosettastone for developing a thorough understanding of the language, and a ✈️ to motherland is definitely important in developing any level of fluency.
Aalap Shah, MD, is a board certified anesthesiologist, specializing in general adult and pediatric anesthesiology.
