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Annals of Family Medicine 4:460-462 (2006)
© 2006 Annals of Family Medicine, Inc.
doi: 10.1370/afm.572
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Sí, Doctora

Lucy M. Candib, MD

Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Massachusetts Medical School and Family Health Center of Worcester, Worcester, Mass

CORRESPONDING AUTHOR: Lucy M. Candib, MD, Family Health Center of Worcester, 26 Queen St., Worcester, MA 01610, lcandib{at}massmed.edu

Experience with seeing Latino patients at a community health center has taught a family physician that the patient’s response, "Sí, doctora [Yes, doctor]" can have multiple meanings. Patients might say "yes" during consultations to avoid conflict or to defer to the more powerful doctor. The clinician’s understanding had to move to deeper levels when a visiting Ecuadorian friend learning English used "yes" multiple times in conversation, but not as an indicator of agreement or even comprehension. The family doctor realized that she could not assume what the patient implies by this simple expression. The apparent agreement of "yes" requires more. When a patient says, "Sí, doctora," the doctor must probe with more questions and listen hard to the answers.

Key Words: Communication • cross-cultrual comparison • physician-patient relations




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TRACK Comments:

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We have much to learn about non-western communication styles.
Sylvie Lo Fo Wong
Annals of Family Medicine, 6 Oct 2006 [Full text]
Yes
Iona Heath
Annals of Family Medicine, 9 Oct 2006 [Full text]
Cultural Humility and Mutual Influence
Kim Marvel
Annals of Family Medicine, 11 Nov 2006 [Full text]
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