Patience

As I was meeting each patient on the list, I came across a Mien speaking individual who was admitted for severely elevated blood pressures. Mien-speaking interpreters were hard to come across, and, as expected, we were unable to reach them through the hospital's translator services. When reviewing the patient's chart, I noticed that the patient was hospitalized multiple times for similar episodes, and he was prescribed a home blood pressure regimen. It became clear that we might not be getting the full story, or something important was being lost in translation.

I decided to contact the patient's daughter, who was able to come in later in the day and help interpret. With his daughter's help, we learned that the patient believed that once the blood pressure medication lowered his blood pressure, he could stop taking them. 

It was a moment that reminded me how easily we can take communication for granted. Medicine often assumes that understanding follows explanation, but language, and culture, add layers to that assumption. What looks like "non-compliance" may simply be a gap in understanding, shaped by words that never quite directly translate. 

That day, patience became more than just a virtue; it became a form of care. Slowing down, listening beyond language, and trying to see the world from the patient's perspective allowed us to finally reach an understanding.