Cynthia Bjorlie, M.D. Directors Corner - Founder of Adult Foster Care of the North Shore

Director's Corner

Health Care Challenges for International Patients

Health Care Challenges for International Patients

Hospitals can be scary places…. scary for anyone, not just someone new to the country, customs, and language.

Let’s start with the language. Giving a medical history of your condition and understanding what to do about it are vital.

Many US medical centers provide interpreters for many languages, but the great number of languages spoken around the world ensures that the barriers in communication persist. Telephone language lines and other computer translation devices are also available. Some new phones have a simple translation device built in. The best way to communicate is to learn the language of the land and/or bring with you someone who can help interpret. For less commonly spoken languages and dialects, translation services may not be available.

If you have any medical records in another country or another hospital, get them. Lack of adequate medical records can create more gaps of information that hinder a timely diagnosis and plan.

Customs vary and significant differences exist between cultures. Differences may include dress codes and the comparatively equal roles of women and men. A comprehensive and thorough physical examination may be hindered by religious or cultural attitudes. A “chaperone” may be required to be present for an examination by a clinician of the opposite sex.

Use the emergency department for emergencies. A broken bone or chest pain or an acute event is an emergency. A head cold is not.

If you have a chronic medical issue, find a primary doctor that you can communicate with and trust. Often doctors will have nurse practitioners or “physician assistants” that assume the routine care of patients. These two degrees indicate a higher level of training in clinical medical care. Keep those people in the loop. They can often guide you and help avoid the costly and/or unnecessary procedures.

This month’s “Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine” addresses this topic, and I have borrowed liberally from its pages.

 

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