Today in clinic I saw a Maori gentleman (not the man in the photo) as my first patient in Cardiology Clinic. He was in his 50's not married not employed but had a daughter. He had been newly diagnosed with Atrial Fibrillation and been referred by his GP for evaluation. I gave him a my standard history and physical and then explained to him why he needed to be on a blood thinner called Coumadin (Warfarin in NZ). He seem to understand, so I further explained he would need blood tests and a echocardiogram to see if he would be a candidate for cardioversion. He nodded his head during my explanation of his treatment plan so I thought we were communicating well. I gave him a prescription for Warfarin and spoke to his GP about a referral to hematology so his blood levels could be monitored. I then asked him to wait in the exam room while I got him a educational pamphlet on Warfarin. When I returned to the exam room he was gone. I suddenly realized that he and I had not communicated, and that I need a lot of work on my Maori communication skills. To me he will always be the Maori who wasn't there.
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