HablaMed Dispatch- Addressing the family

Reader,

¡Hola amigos!

This one's less about vocabulary and more about the doorway.

You walk into a room with four family members in it, and what happens in the next four seconds sets the tone for everything after.

In English, you'd greet the room without thinking about it. In Spanish, concentrating on the clinical phrases you rehearsed on the way down the hall, it's easy to go straight to the patient. In a lot of Latino families, greeting the room is the expected courtesy. It's not a big lift once you know to do it.

Buenos días a todos. (Good morning to all) Two extra syllables, and a todos is the whole thing. It tells a family you see them.

Then con permiso (excuse me) as you move through the room toward the bed. This is the one that rarely gets taught. It asks to pass, and it isn't an apology. Perdón is the apology. Different word, different job. If someone answers propio or adelante, that's go ahead.

On the reassurance side, one swap is worth making. Most of us learn va a estar bien (it’s going to be okay) first. It's warm, and it's also a promise that isn't always yours to make. Estamos haciendo todo lo posible (We’re doing everything possible) is true in every room you'll ever walk into, including the hard ones.

PHRASES OF THE WEEK

Buenos días a todos.

BWEH-nohs DEE-ahs ah TOH-dohs

Good morning, everyone.

Con permiso.

kohn per-MEE-soh

Excuse me, may I pass.

Estamos haciendo todo lo posible.

ess-TAH-mohs ah-SYEN-doh TOH-doh loh poh-SEE-bleh

We're doing everything we can.

Lo estamos cuidando.

loh ess-TAH-mohs kwee-DAHN-doh

We're taking care of him. (La estamos cuidando for her.)

Estamos aquí para ayudarle.

ess-TAH-mohs ah-KEE PAH-rah ah-yoo-DAR-leh

We're here to help you.

One reminder, always: these phrases are here to build your comfort and keep a patient oriented in the moments between. They are never a substitute for a qualified in-person medical interpreter. Follow your hospital's interpreter protocol every time. The goal isn't to work around the interpreter. It's to be a little more human while you wait for one.

What's Next for HablaMed

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¡Hasta luego!

— Tyler, HablaMed