Nursing schools and medical schools teach students everything there is to know about the body; how it works, what could potentially go wrong and how to treat it. A part of that learning seems to involve learning a whole new language; NPO, infarction, ostomy, ectomy, itis, and ischemia are common words. At first, students often struggle learning the language but over time, just like learning Spanish or Italian, it becomes a part of who you are. Even when playing the role of patient or caregiver, health care providers speak the language of medicine and are easily identified by other health care providers. I can remember when my daughters were little and had to have tubes in their ears having conversations with the nurses, physicians and anesthesiologists in the pre-op area. As soon as I said a word only spoken by health care providers such as NPO, or conscious sedation, they would immediately recognize me as a colleague. “Oh. Are you a nurse or doctor?” they would ask. Funny, I didn’t even realize that I was using the secret language!
I have found that the language of medicine becomes so much a part of our conversations that we often forget that sometimes, our audience has no idea what we’ve said. Physicians unknowingly walk into a patient’s hospital or examination room and start speaking this foreign language without recognizing that patients might not understand. Patients often feel that they’ve been transported to another country. That’s why sometimes you need an interpreter.
Several years ago I directed a neuroscience nursing conference. To make things fun, I created a few videos doing spoofs of some of the more common neurological disorders. During a stroke video, I named the physician, “Dr. Speak in a language you won’t understand.” The nurse’s name was, “Nurse. Who interpreters.” When the “doctor” told the wife the diagnosis, “Your husband has suffered a cerebral infarction at the bifurcation of the circle of willis.” The nurse told the wife, “Your husband has suffered a stroke.” This scene went on for several minutes with the doctor speaking the medical language and the nurse acting as the interpreter. It was very humorous and generated a lot of laughs from the nurses in the audience because we know it’s so true.
If you find yourself in a situation where your health care providers relay information to you that you don’t understand, you may want to consider hiring an advocate who can act as an interpreter. Clinical advocates are typically nurses that understand how to take complicated medication information and explain it in a way that helps the layperson understand. The ability to understand a diagnosis, treatment and potential complications is a huge benefit to improving overall health and outcomes.
Need an interpreter? Remember, knowledge is power.
Take care and be well.
R.Thompson, MSN, RN
To find out how advocacy can help you or your loved one, please contact the advocates at Uppta at www.uppta.com
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