Doesn’t matter?

A physician responded , “it doesn’t matter what I say there are people who won’t understand.” I was saddened by her response. I was sad because that was the first response when I started talking about health literacy. Granted, there are people who will have difficulty understanding information. And even with our best intentions and strategies, may continue to lack the ability to gather and use health information to make informed decisions.

But oh, the lack of compassion we show when we quickly dismiss the possibilities that exist if we put an effort into changing our behavior and attitudes towards the health illiterate population we serve.

I was listening to a podcast and the guest said “we have enough data, we need to make better decisions” when it comes to engaging our patients and families to help fix our broken healthcare system.

My message: try a little humility. The healthcare system has enough of “doesn’t matter” attitudes. And with all the pieces of healthcare that need to be fixed, try not to be a provider who forgets the ultimate purpose is to serve with an open heart and an open mind.