I’ve been thinking about this for weeks since I first read the article and felt like I have to respond now that it’s been shared in a Medium publication. . .particularly to the highlighted quote.

Communication is broken in many ways because of the structure of the US healthcare system. This article assumes doctors are at fault in communication. Sometimes this is true, sometimes not, and sometimes it is the system forcing providers to spent 50% of the day writing notes to satisfy insurance claims rather than be with clients.

In the example of a medical student playing the authority on communication, if you ask around, any doctor will tell you, a client will only hear the worst case scenario given a range. From acid reflux to stomach cancer means, “get your things in order, you’re going to die.”

I remember a night in tears before having a lymph node removed, sure that I had terminal cancer. I had no issue, and the provider found it easier to do an unwarranted surgery than convince me otherwise.

Conversely, my ENT surgeon, talks about telling a client she had cancer but he could perform surgery to remove it. All she heard was the word cancer, and she disappeared and never returned for treatment.

So yes, communication is absolutely crucial, but may be best to know that it is challenging in several directions — doctor to client, client to family, doctor to NP or nurse — practice to insurance company and all around.