PT: Speaking with health professionals – The importance of good communication
Listen to patients and health professionals speak about their experience with taking multiple medicines.
PT
Male
Age at interview: 49
Number of medicines: 7
Cultural background: Indian
The cardiologist took the time to explain to PT the new medication he was prescribed while he was in hospital. This helped PT comes to terms with the way in which Western medicine approached his condition.
I don't remember everything now, but I discussed a lot of things, yes. I must have taken a lot of his time. Um … he explained to me first of all about what had happened and physically what … I had several questions about what was happening to me and what had happened to me and what was the stent going to do, even though I'd had all the information from other sources, I still had several questions. About the medication, I questioned him and he was very kind to explain everything about each of them, what it did and how it affected and how it was important and also that he stressed the point that you should be very, very particular about medications, besides exercising and diet. He always has been stressing to me these things and that I have to be particular about taking it. Maybe I have to take it all the time for the whole life. Basically, that's what he said to me.
The Living with multiple medicines project was developed in collaboration with Healthtalk Australia.