Miscommunication by Omission

Recently, a young man I know was given aprescription for pain after injuring his knee. Being wary of medications, he minimized the dosage. The bottle label said "take for pain." Later, his sister, a registered nurse told him his prescfription was for pain as well as infamation. By reducing the dosage and enduring the pain, he prolonged his discomfort because the inflammation remained. It would certainly have been helpful to him if the doctor or the pharmacist had informed him of the anti-inflammatory propereties of the drug. That reminds me of a time when a friend was to undergo surgery. He had been told to avoid food for 12 hours before the surgery. He did so. He arrived for pre-surgery prepping and was scolded. The nurse saw him chewing gum, which stimulates the juices in the stomach and that can cause vomiting while under anestesia. A surprise to realize that gum is considered a food! When we know and assume so much more than we are telling, no wonder our receivers are clueless and feel betrayed by the information omissions. Errors of omission cause miscommunication--and mistrust.