Understanding the patient narratives and the history is a significant part of initial disease diagnosis and follow-up care. Better the accuracy of the patient narrative, easier the diagnosis. However, the doctor and the patient may not share a common native language.
In India, although most people understand at least 2 languages, most non-medical terms that people use to describe common symptoms are difficult to express in a different language to a doctor. How do you overcome this common challenge in your daily practice? If the native language of the patient is different, do you assume that the patient is narrating accurately?
