The following scenarios are presented for assistance in incorporating healthcare interpreting into interpreter education programs. For more context on how to use these scenarios, please click here.
MEDICAL: ACID REFLUX | ASTHMA | CAR ACCIDENT | JAW PAIN | RAPID HEART BEAT
ACID REFLUX
Acid Reflux - Doctor
A patient comes to see you complaining of heartburn and acid indigestion. You ask what they do to deal with the problem. Find out how often this happens….if it is consistently more than 2X a week, it could be GERD (Gastroephageal Reflux Disease). This is a problem in the esophagus where it doesn’t close properly and stomach acids come back up. Can lead to bleeding and ulcers, can make swallowing difficult, and can lead to esphogeal cancer. Treatment:
• Use antacids
• Stop smoking
• Lose weight
• Eat small frequent meals
• Don’t lie down until 3 hours after meals
If the condition continues, will refer to a specialist to consider surgery as an option
Acid Reflux - Patient
You go to see your doctor because you have been having terrible heartburn after eating. You used to get it every once in awhile, especially if you ate spicy foods, but in the last month it is happening at least 3 times a week. You have been using Tums but now they don’t seem to be helping. You are frustrated that you can’t enjoy eating and worried about what is wrong with you.
Acid Reflux - Interpreter
A Deaf patient is going to their doctor to talk about problems with heartburn, which is happening more and more often.
ASTHMA
Asthma - Doctor
You are seeing a regular patient of yours who is in her/his late 40s. S/he has very bad asthma, which is triggered by dust, smog, smoke and pollen, as well as by any exertion. S/he uses two different puffers, a green one s/he can use up to four times a day, and an orange one that is only for serious breathing difficulties and should only be used once per day as needed.
You do monthly checks on her/him to make sure s/he doesn’t need to change medication.
Has anything changed since the last visit
How often does s/he use her green puffer, and how often the orange
Suggest s/he refrain from housework, because both the dust and exertion are bad for her/him
Asthma - Patient
You are in your late 40s and have had asthma for most of your adult life. You see your doctor monthly to check on how you are doing. Your asthma is triggered by dust, smoke, pollen, and smog, as well as by exertion. You use two different puffers, a green one you can use up to four times a day, and an orange one that is only for serious breathing difficulties and should only be used once per day as needed.
In last month have been having a hard time—there is a lot of pollen, and also there has been more smog
When you clean your apartment, you get very out of breath, have to use the orange puffer, sometimes two or three times a day
Very important to you to keep you apt. clean and you live alone so who else can do i
Asthma - Interpreter
A Deaf patient in his/her late 40s is going to the doctor for a monthly check up. S/he has asthma and uses two different puffers to manage the condition.
CAR ACCIDENT
Car Accident - Doctor
You are seeing a patient of yours who was in a car accident. S/he is complaining about bruises on her/his torso and her/his neck hurting. S/he was struck by an oncoming car when s/he was turning left and her/his airbag deployed
- When did the accident happen
- What did s/he do (eg, get treatment at hospital)
- What is the pain like on a scale of 1 to 10
If s/he complains of sore throat and bad taste in mouth, it is probably because of chemicals and dust in the air bag and will go away
Will need to take pictures of bruises for the insurance company
Will refer her/him to physical therapist but for now need to rest, put ice on neck
Will give her/him pain killers
Car Accident Patient
You are seeing your doctor because you were in a car accident two days ago. You were turning left when an oncoming car struck you and your airbag deployed. You were taken to the hospital and examined, and released that night.
You have a sore neck and sore ribs and abdomen, with bruising. Also you have a sore throat and bad taste in your mouth and you wonder what that is from. You are worried that maybe you injured something and that has affected your taste buds.
Car Accident - Interpreter
The Deaf patient was in a car accident two days ago…s/he was broadsided while turning left and the airbag deployed. S/he has sore ribs and bruising, and a bad taste in her/his mouth.
JAW PAIN
Jaw pain - Doctor
You are seeing a new patient who is coming in complaining of chronic jaw pain. You want to determine:
- Where the pain is
- When did it first start
- How long does the pain last when it begins
- What time of day is it worse
- Is there anything that makes it worse or better
- Was there anything that seemed to start the pain
- What has the patient tried to make the pain less (e.g., medication, hot and cold treatments, etc.)
You may decide to refer the patient to a dental specialist to investigate the possibility of TMJ.
Jaw pain - Patient
You are going to the doctor to seek help with chronic jaw pain. It is something you have had all your adult life, on and off, but in the last six weeks it has gotten worse and is a throbbing pain. You find it hard to eat at times.
You have tried taking Tylenol and that helps the pain lessen but you would like to find out if there is anything you could do that would get rid of the pain.
Jaw pain - Interpreter
The Deaf patient has had jaw pain on and off for year, but recently it has gotten much worse.
RAPID HEART BEAT
Rapid heart beat - Doctor
A patient has come to see you who is complaining of rapid heart beat. You want to find out how often this happens, and what the patient is doing when it occurs. The patient will need to wear a Holter monitor, which is a portable ECG (electrocardiogram) that will record their heart beat over a 24 hour period. They will need to keep a chart of what activities they are doing at every point of the day (e.g., walking up a hill, sleeping, showering) so the results of the test can be co-related with activity. After that, it can be determined how serious the problem is, and medication may be prescribed such as beta blockers or digoxin.
Rapid Heart Beat - Patient
In the last six months, you have sometimes felt like your heart is beating really fast. You are very worried about it. It seems to happen for no reason. When it happens, you lie down and rest and wait for it to stop. Usually it goes away after 5 minutes but in the last 2 weeks it has happened twice when it lasted for up to 15 minutes.
You are very nervous about what might be wrong.
Rapid heart beat - Interpreter
The Deaf patient has been experiencing times of rapid heartbeat and is very worried about it.
