Friday, October 12, 2007

Communication skills

As I mentioned in a previous post, we're having a pinkeye epidemic here. I've prescribed ophthalmic ointment to some of my patients and have explained that you place 1/8-inch strip in the eye and blink several times to spread the ointment. A family returned today with a new case in a sibling. Her eye was particularly bad, so I wanted to place the ointment myself to get her started. After I placed the ointment, the mother gasped and started laughing. I asked what was so funny, and she told me that they had been using the ointment on the outside of the eye, rubbing it around on the eyelid. After all, who would put ointment in the eyeball?

After I washed the egg off my face, we all decided that I needed a course in the subtleties of being Chamorro and that for now, demonstration was probably better than conversation. You see, I have trouble with their accents and they have just as much difficulty with mine!

Live and learn.

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