Although the term hemothorax and rib resection seems nothing unusual to me, a normal person who has left his connection with the subject of biology after schooldays might not understand it even after hours of explanation. That is just with medical terms, but that is the least difficult part. To understand how the operative procedure going to affect the daily routine of the patient is much more complicated. Even three years of residency is little time for the surgeon to assimilate it. But as a surgeon I cannot give the Maingot's book of surgery to the patient and ask them to read and understand about the surgery themselves. There should be an effective way of translating medical definitions and procedures to layman's language.
Here I would like to share some of the examples, my professor elaborates to explain things to patients and even the non surgical medical personnel. At this point I have to mention that a surgeon is very different from a physician. A doctor who has never seen or done any surgery after medical school training cannot understand or explain how real life situations are different from text book descriptions.
Crossing the road situation
A surgery with a described low risk is like crossing a road on a fine sunny day. What are the chances of getting hit by a vehicle or slipping down?
Now for a surgery with a described high risk, it is like crossing the road during a stormy rainy night. The chances of getting injured is high.
Ascending the stairs situation
See..., undergoing a surgery is like ascending the stairs till the third floor. I will have to do it, the patient have to do it, the attendant has to do it, the child has to do it, the eighty year old grandpa has to do it. You know, the child will run and climb, the grandpa might get breathless by the first floor. This is a simple example to show how the age can be a factor for surgical outcome.
Making Rotti and curry situation
If the attendant is a person who cooks, this is a helpful example to relate how much athey can rely on experience of surgeon. " You must have made atleast ten thousand rottis (bread) or around five thousand dishes in life till now. But can you guarantee that the taste of the dish you are going to make will exactly be same as the taste of previous one? "
That's the same with surgery, the surgeon might have successfully done the same surgical procedure five hundred times.But, the outcome of next surgery cannot be predicted as same as the previous one.
Here I would like to share some of the examples, my professor elaborates to explain things to patients and even the non surgical medical personnel. At this point I have to mention that a surgeon is very different from a physician. A doctor who has never seen or done any surgery after medical school training cannot understand or explain how real life situations are different from text book descriptions.
Crossing the road situation
Now for a surgery with a described high risk, it is like crossing the road during a stormy rainy night. The chances of getting injured is high.
Ascending the stairs situation
Making Rotti and curry situation
If the attendant is a person who cooks, this is a helpful example to relate how much athey can rely on experience of surgeon. " You must have made atleast ten thousand rottis (bread) or around five thousand dishes in life till now. But can you guarantee that the taste of the dish you are going to make will exactly be same as the taste of previous one? "That's the same with surgery, the surgeon might have successfully done the same surgical procedure five hundred times.But, the outcome of next surgery cannot be predicted as same as the previous one.
