Between Doctors and Patients:The Cultural Dynamics of the Medical Interview

Breaking the Code

When designing interventions to improve the doctor-patient visit, we often forget that, in some sense, all doctor-patient conversations are cross-cultural. Doctors literally embody the clinic itself, as both its representatives and agents, whereas the patients simply represent themselves and their needs. When designing communication strategies for these interactions, we need to consider a patient's life experiences, culture, and health literacy, which includes things like expectations for how a "good doctor" will act and what their role is supposed to be. Power differentials are inherent in the engagement, and we need to account for this, as well--not every patient is comfortable "challenging" doctors or other institutional figures in the course of a medical interview, and if our interventions require that, they will fail for those patients. Patients that defer to a doctor's expertise need to be accounted for as much as patients that are looking for open dialogue about their treatment.
In this episode, Brad recalls 3 anecdotes from doctor-patient interactions that he has previously observed. Each doctor is distinct but beloved by their patients, and each story reveals another layer into how we, as communication experts, should approach thinking about these interactions. Brad and Sonika dive into each of these stories and uncover insights related to regional cultures, power dynamics, and an inclusive method for doctors to meet any patient where they are.

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