Microlecture 015: What are the 2 Things a Medical Interpreter Needs to Know...
In any clinical encounter involving a patient with Limited English Proficiency, both the clinician and the medical interpreter need to prepare for the encounter. The MI needs to know two things: a....
View ArticleMicrolecture 016: How To Make The Medical Interpreter Feel Respected and Engaged
How can we make the MI feel more included in the clinical encounter? Lot of times, the medical interpreter is walking into a sensitive situation and they can be caught off guard and feel disconnected...
View ArticleMicrolecture 004: Talk Directly To The Patient
This micro-lecture addresses patient rights. When the patient has Limited English Proficiency, how can we ensure their right to access all the information about their healthcare? Don’t they still have...
View ArticleMicrolecture 017: The Role Of Therapeutic Touch
My colleague, Prof. Abraham Verghese, (a big proponent of the physical exam) jokingly told me once that the modern-day doctor needs an X-ray to diagnose an amputation! What is the need to do a...
View ArticleMicrolecture 018: Should We Sugarcoat Bad News?
There is a lot of debate about how to give bad news to a patient in a culturally respectful manner. Some cultures value direct communication without any frills. Other cultures prefer to be more...
View ArticleMicrolecture 019: What is the Difference Between Social Touch and Therapeutic...
Culture governs how we interpret many things including acceptable norms for touch. In many cultures, it is not acceptable to make prolonged social eye contact ( it is seen as a forward gesture). It is...
View ArticleMicrolecture 020: Should Clinicians Engage in Small Talk with Patients?
Should we do small-talk with patients to set them at ease? This may be a standard expectation in some cultures. In fact, by making patients comfortable, we can expect them to engage more meaningfully...
View ArticleMicrolecture 021: How Rituals Promote Healing
Biomedicine is in the business of doing ceremonial things unceremoniously. As clinicians, we bear witness to solemn life milestones of patients and families including birth and death. However, we...
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