Offering a diagnosis and treatment plan
As a healthcare professional, you''re dedicated to providing all your patients with the best treatment available, whatever language they happen to speak. Providing effective care, however, requires not only a thorough medical background but also an ability to clearly communicate with your patients. You need to be able to take your patients through the entire process - from meeting and greeting them to filling out paperwork, and from asking them questions to delivering your diagnosis, treatment plan, and instructions.
In the course of a single chapter, we can''t possibly tell you everything you need to know to fully understand what your Spanish-speaking patients tell you or what you need to tell them, but we can bring you up to speed on the basics and show you how to communicate in the most common scenarios. Here, we cover the basics of gathering information from patients and explaining to patients the diagnosis and treatment.
REMEMBER
Refer to the early chapters in Book I for basic coverage of conversational Spanish, including a pronunciation guide in Chapter 1. Book I, Chapter 3 leads you through the basics of meeting and greeting people, while Chapter 4 shows you how to engage in small talk - for when you''re just getting to know your patients.
First Things First: Key Words and Emergency Lingo
Whatever your role is in serving patients - whether you''re a receptionist meeting the patient for the first time or the doctor who ultimately provides diagnosis and treatment - you need to know some basic doctor''s office vocabulary and how to communicate with patients in emergency situations. In the following sections, we introduce you to some general terminology along with Spanish names for body parts and internal organs. We also provide key phrases for dealing with accidents and emergencies.
Doctor-speak: Using basic terminology
When you''re in a healthcare situation, whether in a doctor''s office, pharmacy, or emergency room, you''re likely to use many of the terms in Table 1-1.
Naming body parts
Fortunately, you and your patient can probably refer to body parts simply by pointing to them - although this method can get a bit tricky when it comes to internal organs. A more efficient way to communicate with your Spanish-speaking patients is to brush up your Spanish anatomy terminology. Table 1-2 brings you up to speed and acts as a quick reference.
Dealing with emergencies
In emergency situations, you have very little time to establish rapport with the patient. You need to find out what''s going on in a hurry and then issue whatever commands necessary to get the patient to cooperate. Here''s a list of questions that can help you quickly ascertain what happened and evaluate the patient''s condition:
Listen! ?Oiga! (ohee-gah)
Admitting New Patients
The first encounter with a new patient is likely to be one of the most important, and it usually occurs with the receptionist who answers the phone and greets the patient when she arrives. This initial contact is when the patient first explains what''s going on and why she needs to see a doctor, sets an appointment, completes the necessary paperwork, and discusses details relating to insurance and payments.
In the following sections, we reveal some basic terminology and phrases you need to know at this point and present you with dialogues of some common scenarios so you can begin to tune in to your Spanish-speaking patients.
REMEMBER
A smile always conveys concern and compassion and makes a patient feel more at ease. This advice may seem trite, but people often forget how important body language can be, especially when they may be struggling with a language barrier.
TIP
One of the most common questions you''re going to get is ?D?nde est? el ba?o? (dohn-deh ehs-tah ehl bvah-nyoh) (Where''s the bathroom?) You have two options here: You can escort the person to the nearest bathroom or give the person directions, as discussed in Book I, Chapter 8.
Setting appointments and asking initial questions
When a patient calls into the office, you need to gather some basic information - including the patient''s complaint, name, and phone number - and then set up an appointment for the patient to see the doctor. The following dialogue leads you through a typical preliminary phone conversation.
Talkin'' the Talk
Mrs. Cruz calls her doctor to set up an appointment. The receptionist, Janice, answers the call, obtains the necessary information from Mrs. Cruz, and then schedules the appointment. Here''s how such a conversation is likely to go.
Janice: Bueno. Esta es la oficina de los Doct?res Smith, Rowe, y Cline. bvooeh-noh ehs-tah ehs lah oh-fee-see-nah deh lohs dohk-toh-rehs smeeth, roh, ee kline Hello. This is the office of Doctors Smith, Rowe, and Cline.
Mrs. Cruz: S?, necesito concertar una cita con el m?dico. see, neh-seh-see-toh kohn-sehr-tahr oo-nah see-tah kohn ehl meh-dee-koh. Yes, I need to make an appointment with the doctor.
Mi doct?r es el Doct?r Rowe. mee dohk-tohr ehs ehl dohk-tohr roh My doctor is Dr. Rowe.
Janice: ?l tiene una cita disponible hoy a las dos de la tarde. ehl teeeh-neh oo-nah see-tah dees-poh-nee-bvleh ohy ah lahs dohs deh lah tahr-deh He has an appointment available today at 2:00 p.m.
?Est? bien esta hora con usted? ehs-tah bveeehn ehs-tah oh-rah kohn oos-tehd Is that time okay with you?
Mrs. Cruz: S?, excelente. see ehk-seh-lehn-teh Yes, excellent.
Janice: ?C?mo se llama? koh-moh seh yah-mah What''s your name?
Mrs. Cruz: Me llamo Sra. Mar?a Luisa Cruz. meh yah-moh seh-nyoh-rah mah-ree-ah looee-sah kroos My name is Mrs. Mar?a Luisa Cruz.
Janice: ?Cu?l es su fecha de nacimiento? kooahl ehs soo feh-chah deh nah-see-meeehn-toh What is your birthdate?
Mrs. Cruz: Es el veinte de mayo de mil novecientos setenta y cinco. ehs ehl bveheen-teh deh mah-yoh deh meel noh-bveh-seeehn-tohs seh-tehn-tah ee seen-koh It''s May 20th, 1975.
Janice: ?Qu? es su n?mero de tel?fono? keh ehs soo noo-meh-roh deh teh-leh-foh-noh What is your phone number?
Mrs. Cruz: Mi n?mero es 473-1205. mee noo-meh-roh ehs kooah-troh seeeh-teh trehs oo-noh dohs seh-roh seen-koh My number is 473-1205.
Janice: ?Cu?les son sus s?ntomas? kooah-lehs sohn soos seen-toh-mahs What are your symptoms?
Mrs. Cruz: Hace una semana que me duele la garganta mucho y tengo dolores en todas partes de mi cuerpo. ah-seh oo-nah seh-mah-nah keh meh dooeh-leh lah gahr-gahn-tah moo-choh ee tehn-goh doh-loh-rehs ehn toh-dahs pahr-tehs deh mee kooehr-poh For a week I have had a very bad sore throat and aches all over my body.
Janice: ?Tiene Ud. fiebre? teeeh-neh oos-tehd feeeh-bvreh Do you have a fever?
Mrs. Cruz: De veras, no s?. No tengo term?metro en casa. deh bveh-rahs noh seh no tehn-goh tehr-moh-mehtroh ehn kah-sah Honestly, I don''t know. I don''t have a thermometer at home.
Janice: No hay problema. La enfermera tomar? su temperatura durante la visita. no ahy proh-bvleh-mah lah ehn-fehr-meh-rah toh-mah-rah soo tehm-peh-rah-too-rah doo-rahn-teh lah bvee-see-tah It''s not a problem. The nurse will take your temperature during your visit. Eso es toda la informaci?n que necesito. Gracias. Hasta las dos. eh-soh ehs toh-dah lah een-fohr-mah-seeohn keh neh-seh-see-toh grah-seeahs ahs-tah lahs dohs That is all the information that I need. Thanks. See you at 2:00.
Mrs. Cruz: Gracias. Adi?s. grah-seeahs ah-deeohs Thanks. Good-bye.
At some point in your initial conversation, you need to find out why the person on the other end of the line needs to see the doctor. Here''s the question you need to ask:
?Por qu? necesita Ud. consultar al m?dico? (pohr keh neh-seh-see-tah oos-tehd kohn-sool-tahr ahl meh-dee-koh) (Why do you need to see the doctor?)
Asking the question is the easy part (it always is); understanding the answer is the real challenge, because the patient can describe anything from the common cold to symptoms of a serious illness. Following are some of the more common reasons patients are likely to offer for needing to see a doctor:
