Tiene dolor? and Other Important Terms When Dealing With The Hispanic Patient

This is a review of the article in Ameican Family Physician

Caring for Latino Patients

GREGORY JUCKETT, MD, MPH, West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown, West Virginia

Am Fam Physician. 2013 Jan 1;87(1):48-54.

     With the increase in Hispanic population in the US today it is important to be aware of the language and cultural differences when seeing these patients. First off, it is much more important to have a trained bilingual translator rather than your own quasi Spanish that you remember from high school mixed with whatever you picked up from your 2 week stint with Rosetta Stone.

     Hispanics have higher rates of obesity, diabetes, and uncontrolled hypertension. The cause is multi-factorial,  with the usual suspects being diet, sedentary lifestyle, and genetics. It is important to be mindful of diseases that they make have that are not so common in the US including neurocystercosis and pulmonary TB. It is specifically mentioned that if you suspect TB, a interferon gamma release assays over a tuberculin skin test.

     This article has a wonderful chart on different herbs, etc. that your hispanic patient may commonly use as home remedies, with their harms and benefits.