anthropology assignment

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

Hospitals seem to have very different cultures from doctor's offices and clinics, although all three have the same general layout: enter into intimidating formal space, check in, wait, get called to your room, get checked on by nurse, wait some more, then finally see your doctor. Unless you have a medical emergency or are in labor, the steps are all pretty similar for other situations. However, hospitals are much bigger machines, in that more patients come in and out every day and at a much faster pace. Regardless of which medical setting the patient is in, there are the set rules to follow as described above, and the patient must follow these rules in order to keep the flow of patients smooth. There are also other rules, though, that must be observed, many concerned with the privacy of other patients. For instance, talking in the waiting room is generally minimal, unless the patient has brought someone along to support them such as a spouse or other family member. Patients do not generally speak to one another, and it can be discomforting when this unspoken rule is violated, which is very different from more casual waiting situations such as waiting in line at the grocery store. I think this talk taboo probably comes from the fact that patients are already uncomfortable and some of them may be embarrassed about their illness, so to have a stranger attempt casual conversation makes the issue even more uncomfortable.  From my own personal experience, the biggest thing that stands out in my mind is that the doctor is usually someone I do not know. Only when I was very little did I attend the same doctor for more than a few visits. Especially now as an adult, and having to go to public health clinics I never get the same doctor twice. Depending on the illness, the questions asked by the doctors can become quite personal. I have been asked questions by a doctor that I would not be comfortable answering if my own mother asked them of me, and as a result I felt I was under unfair scrutiny and was not able to be honest with the doctor as I felt it was none of his business regardless of his position as a health care provider. Growing up, my mother always taught me that I had to/could be completely honest with health care professionals, as that was the only way they could properly diagnose any issues. However, as an adult I believe thoroughly in the right to privacy, and I don't think it is fair for a complete stranger to expect answers to questions that make someone uncomfortable. To me, this issue that I have experienced goes along perfectly with what we have read so far, and I think that explanatory models would be an excellent place for physicians to start the process of making their patients feel more comfortable. If these doctors who asked me uncomfortable questions had come in and asked me the EM questions prior to the more private questions, the atmosphere would have been loosened, and by the doctor's reactions to my answers I would have known better who they were as a person. Opening up this level of comfort would have a huge impact, I believe, on future patient/doctor interactions. Honestly, after having been asked the questions I was asked, I never returned to that clinic, nor will I. However, I think that if the doctor had been more understanding of my discomfort and had asked me EM type questions beforehand or at all, I would have considered being asked such private questions less of a discomfort and would have been able to view the visit in a more positive light rather than an embarrassing one. Overall, I think that the doctor's expressing a little more empathy and understanding would lead patients to view visiting the doctor's office as a comforting experience rather than an intimidating one.