Profile:
Carolyn Barley Britton,
M.D., M.S. |
|
|
|
 |
It was a patient Dr. Carolyn Barley Britton treated early in her career who taught her to be a better listener.
Britton, an associate professor of clinical neurology at Columbia University in New York City, had reviewed a medicine card and instructions with the patient. But a few days later, he returned to the hospital. He wasn’t feeling well. He didn’t know what to do.
“I asked him if he took his medicine. He said he took all the pills on his card,” Britton says. “I realized he really didn’t understand what I had told him. He had just nodded his head in agreement. He wanted to please me.”
“Sometimes, we [doctors] talk to patients, but we don’t really see if we are being understood,” Britton says. “Low health literacy is the number one factor in poor health and increases your chances of going to the hospital. People who understand their health needs are more helpful partners with their doctors in making sure they have good health results.”
Britton is president-elect of the National Medical Association (NMA). She also was the main researcher for NMA’s “Doctor Speak, Doctor Listen” health literacy campaign. The campaign includes community programs, such as Ask Me 3, which is offered with the Partnership for Clear Health Communication. It teaches people the three questions they should always ask their doctors: What is my main problem? What do I need to do? Why is it important for me to do this?
The campaign also includes training programs for doctors. Britton and other NMA doctors are currently revisiting the NMA’s cultural competency guide, which will be updated in the next two years. All NMA doctors receive the guide.
“Many doctors confuse cultural sensitivity with cultural competency,” says Britton. “Sensitivity is knowing about different cultures. Cultural competency is being able to use that knowledge to speak and better connect with patients. Doctors need basic education tools to help them communicate in ways that help patients understand how to manage their health.”
In her own practice, Britton spends time with new patients to make them comfortable and to learn how they speak and use body language. She asks patients to visit her office rather than call. Seeing them helps her know when something is wrong and builds a relationship.
“Many people are afraid of the medical community because they don’t understand it or can’t control it,” says Britton. “When people feel they can get information easily — and have the right to it — it is easier for them to work with doctors.”
|
|
