During one of our class discussions we talked about communication between doctors and patients. We also talked about how a lot of patients are now starting to take responsibility for their care and educating themselves on what they are feeling and how to communicate it effectively to their doctor before they even get to their appointment. The fact that patients are starting to do this is a really good thing because it truly does enable them to communicate effectively with their doctor. But my question is this; if we has patients are taking the time to better educate ourselves in order to communicate better with our doctor, then why aren't our doctors doing the same?
In the situation with my friend a doctor had actually sent him, not recommended but sent him, to the hospital for treatment because he was presenting with a severe case of diabetes and was obviously starting to go into a diabetic shock. At the hospital, the doctor who treated him didn't listen at all to my friend, or the friend who had driven him, didn't run any tests, and told my friend to go home and drink fluids because he was just dehydrated. So my friend, not being able to convince the doctor of anything else, went home where he went into a diabetic coma, had a heart attack, and died. He died because a doctor refused to listen and properly communicate with him. So while it's great that patients are taking responsibility in the communication department, why do some doctors get away with not having to do the same? Especially when the lack of communication results in a death. So again I ask, when do doctors start communicating?
As our communications "diagram" indicated, doesn't all communication begin with a set of assumptions? We all have frames of reference that guide our thoughts and reactions. If they prove faulty (as must've happened in this case) the communication that follows is bound to suffer. How can we become self-referential enough to know how our assumptions might be affecting our communication?
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