Best health outcomes for Maori - Medical Council of New Zealand

Case studies continued...
CASE SEVEN:
“Such a Simple Solution”
Importance of face-to-face interaction
Mr Huata was a 47 year old Mäori man who had been
injured in a crash during his work as a heavy vehicle driver.
The health professionals involved in his care were finding it
hard to maintain a pleasant demeanour with him, because
he often seemed surly and uncooperative when they spoke
with him on the telephone. They raised the issue during a
team meeting, and a Mäori staff member at ACC suggested
a face-to-face meeting with the patient and all those involved
in his case.
A meeting was arranged with Mr Huata, his employer, ACC
staff, the Pae Arahi from the ACC branch, and Mr Huata’s
whänau. After a formal welcome and refreshments provided
by the whänau, everyone present introduced themselves
and Mr Huata voiced his concern that, not only had he never
Best health outcomes for Mäori: Case studies
actually met most of the people present, but he had also
been receiving conflicting advice from his different providers.
He expressed his frustration with what he saw as a very
confusing treatment plan with no clear return to work date.
He also explained that he was worried that his rehabilitation
plan would interfere with his responsibilities at the marae.
With everyone present in the same place at the same time,
it was easy to develop a plan for Mr Huata’s further care that
not only provided him with a graduated return to work but
also ensured that he would be able to maintain his marae
duties. Regular face-to-face meetings between Mr Huata
and various groups were scheduled, and within weeks,
Mr Huata had become one of the healthcare team’s favourite
patients, with his strong motivation to get the most from his
rehab as well as his interesting stories of life as a truck driver.
He quickly made significant progress towards returning to
his normal routine and soon rejoined the paid workforce.