Ofri began with a reading from her book, "Medicine in Translation: Journeys with My Patients," which told the story of Nazma Uddin, a 35-year-old woman from Bangladesh, who repeatedly visited Ofri's office complaining of countless ailments. Throughout her appointments, Ofri communicated with Uddin with the help of Uddin's daughter Azina, who acted as an interpreter.
Ofri explained that cultural barriers between herself and Uddin limited Ofri's ability to treat the patient to the best of her ability.
Ofri said she felt resentment and annoyance over the thick veil and robe in which her Muslim patient was shrouded.
"I turned into the curt, hyper-efficient doctor," she said.
In the lecture sponsored by the Healing and the Arts Program of the C. Everett Koop Institute Ofri emphasized the need for physicians to become more familiar with the cultural traditions of their patients. Doctors should combat both conscious and unconscious biases that stem from very limited multicultural education, Ofri said.
"Costa Ricans think Nicaraguans are taking advantage of [the Costa Rican] health care system," Ofri said. "In Sweden, doctors do a poorer job with immigrants."
Although physicians make conscious efforts to avoid stereotypes while treating patients, many patients interpret such behaviors as a sign of doctors' indifference, she said. This transforms what should be a non-threatening environment into a counterproductive one in terms of medical care, Ofri said.
Cultural differences present many potential stumbling blocks, she said. Doctors should make the effort to learn about the nuances of their patients' cultures, setting aside discomfort or indifference.
"It becomes an individual journey for each doctor with each of the patients," Ofri said. "While discussing Islam and the veil, [Uddin's] aches and pains disappeared. Once I took a chance, I found myself in an entirely new place. We can take chances by inquiring about the parts of cultures that are unusual, even off-putting."
There is also an inherent value in incorporating the humanities into the strictly scientific realm of medicine, according to Ofri. Such disciplines would enable physicians to develop more profound human connections and set aside the categorical and technical manner of thought under which they normally function, she said. Instead of adopting the rigidity that medical training often encourages, doctors should maintain open minds and coordinate diverse aspects of thinking.
"We live in a very lack and dreary world when it comes to aesthetics," Ofri said. "Our job as physicians is to interpret our patients' metaphors."
