my personal experience

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 The illness 

 I contracted TB a couple of years ago from my brother, who was unaware of it. After a few days, I noticed unusual sweating that could wet the bed, constant coughing, heat on my feet, and loss of weight and appetite.

The helpful communication with the health worker

Dorcas, who was my girlfriend at the time, and my friends Anthony and Elijah,  noticed the symptoms of my illness. They told me how much they needed me and that I was dying. They convinced me to go to the clinic, where I met a helpful health worker. The first thing she said was, “TB is curable, you don’t have to be afraid”. That was what I wanted to hear. I really wanted to know if I could be healthy again. She also built a strong relationship with Dorcas, tested her, and gave her some good instructions to help me. Dorcas was there to make sure I took my medicines. This was the communication with the health care that helped me fight TB.

My wife Dorcas Mushimbami- Photo taken by Cafeda, Chamboli, Kitwe, Zambia. 

The Unhelpful commutation that made us panic.

  On the contrary, we did not have a helpful communication when I took my wife to the private medical center the year 2022. After a scan, the health professionals identified the problem and symptoms. There was a risk of miscarriage due to high levels of stress. They did not take time to find out what caused the stress and did not care to know how long it would last. All they did was to send us back home. This made us panic and increased the stress in my wife’s body. (Ogden, 2018).

We knew the consequences and we never wanted to lose our baby. Thank God I am a student at the Uopeople. I saw this as an opportunity to put my knowledge into practice. I identified the problem. It was coming from the environment. I tested the hypothesis by changing the environment and it worked. My wife is now 9 months pregnant. All the health workers are shocked whenever we visit and ask how we are surviving.

Ways we could improve communication between patients and health workers.

We should not just focus on the symptoms that bring people to the clinic and the treatments we can offer them. We should also consider the social and environmental factors that affect their health, such as where they live, sleep, work, eat, and socialize. This is where some of the illnesses originate from. This is consistent with what Machanda (2014) said: illness does not only begin “in the four walls of a doctor’s office, but where we live” (What makes us sick, TED video).

  Manchanda, What makes us get sick?

   As health professionals, we should not only be connected to the patients’ symptoms, but also to their families, living conditions, diet, and work. Moreover, we should also consider their beliefs and behavior. The biopsychosocial approach is the best way to improve our communication. (Ogden, 2019)

Reference

Ogden, J. (2019). The Psychology of Health and Illness. https://my.uopeople.edu/pluginfile.php/1644822/mod_book/chapter/389532/Ogden%20-%20The%20psychology%20of%20health%20and%20illness_2019.pdf

Manchanda, R. (2014, August). What makes us get sick? TEDtalk. [Video]. https://www.ted.com/talks/rishi_manchanda_what_makes_us_get_sick_look_upstream





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