|
BETSY came to Dr. Martin for a second — or rather, a sixth — opinion. Over a year, she had seen five other physicians for a “rapid heartbeat” and “feeling stressed.” After extensive testing, she had finally been referred for psychological counseling for an anxiety disorder. 贝蒂来找马丁医生是想问问第二个大夫的意见——实际上是第六个。在过去一年里，因为“心动过速”和“受迫感”的问题，她咨询过五位医生。在经过大量的检查后，医生最终建议她去做焦虑症方面的心理咨询。 The careful history Dr. Martin took revealed that Betsy was taking an over-the-counter weight loss product that contained ephedrine. (I have changed their names for privacy’s sake.) When she stopped taking the remedy, her symptoms also stopped. Asked why she hadn’t mentioned this information before, she said she’d “never been asked.” Until then, her providers would sooner order tests than take the time to talk with her about the problem. 马丁医生仔细地询问病史，终于得知贝蒂当时正在服用一种减肥用的非处方药，其中含有麻黄碱。（为了保护隐私，文中用了化名。）停止服用这种药物后，她的症状也就消失了。在被问到过去为什么没有提过这件事时，她说，“从来没人问过。”在那以前，她的医生都会很快让她去做检查，而不是花时间和她谈病情。 Betsy’s case was fortunate; poor communication often has much worse consequences. A review of reports by the Joint Commission, a nonprofit that provides accreditation to health care organizations, found that communication failure (rather than a provider’s lack of technical skill) was at the root of over 70 percent of serious adverse health outcomes in hospitals. | 
