Um paciente está lutando para compartilhar detalhes cruciais. Como você pode defender suas necessidades de forma eficaz?

First and foremost, empathy and patience are key. I create a safe, judgment-free environment and reassure them that their concerns are valid. Open-ended questions help guide the conversation, allowing them to share at their own pace. Active listening is crucial; I give my full attention and acknowledge their feelings, showing genuine care. If they still hesitate, I suggest writing down thoughts or involving a trusted person. By being calm, listening actively, and offering alternative communication methods, I would help the patient feel comfortable and supported, effectively advocating for their needs.

Often, a healthcare agency will use the line "We didn't know!" That reply is not good enough when the patient's health is on the line. It's vital for the first responder to develop the trust, rapport and knowledge to empower the patient to dialogue matter-of-factually about their feelings and symptoms to move towards a diagnosis to solve the health issue. Trust is developed over a time by proven actions and results demonstrating care for the individual patient above self-interest. Developing rapport also takes time and effort to establish communication and understanding of values, interests and personal goals for that individual patient. Lastly, the provider needs adequate medical knowledge to facilitate with the medical professionals.

The examples shared above are right on target. Another example I would like to share is the perspective of culture. Because I am bilingual, I am often assigned bilingual patients in order to facilitate their care better. However, some patients and their families are not 100% acculturated to the culture let along understand healthcare politics/dynamics. When it comes to culture and healthcare, it is extremely important to pay attention to non-verbal body language and family dynamics. We must thrive to have conversations beyond the 5 minutes consult visit. Some cultures require more psychosocial conversation vs medical talk before they can understand what is happening. While others may need the whole family involved. And that’s ok.

In our perspective, it especially important to bring medical symptoms out into the open by shining a bright light of facts on to the problem. Stigma, and shame surround how we feel about our bodies. By presenting facts, reference and experience in a matter-of-fact demonstration we can move conversations forward. This degree of frankness can usually only be achieved after trust and rapport are met. Enough health knowledge is needed to present, usually in an informal and indirect concepts. Presenting a solution oriented approach, hopefully helps overcome fears to get the next step from the medical professional. There are amounts of information on persuasion, health and barriers in the disability universe. These are simplified steps.