Nia Zalamea, MD, FACS, General Surgeon, Church Health Center

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• Explain why judgment can lead to erroneous clinical decisions.
• Discuss the historical context of providers’ judgment of patients.

Description: For patients suffering from chronic diseases and social disadvantage, good relationships with providers make a big difference. But health care sometimes describes such patients as “non-compliant” or “difficult.” In this video, Dr. Nia Zalamea, faculty for the IHI Open School course PFC 101: Introduction to Patient-Centered Care, explains why it’s important for providers to avoid judging patients’ health choices.

Discussion Questions:

1. Can you think of an example of a time when you felt judged in the health care system, or saw a health care provider judging a patient’s choices?
2. What does the term “non-compliant” mean to you? Do you think this term accurately describes some patient behavior? Why or why not?
3. Dr. Zalamea talks about why it’s important for providers not to assume that they understand patients’ motivations for health decisions. Can you think of an example of when a provider’s erroneous assumption could lead to worse health outcomes?