When I'm a patient, nothing makes me feel more like I, the patient, am on an assembly line, than when my nurse comes across as an Autobot.
You know, you send a portal message to the office nurse, and the reply sounds like it's composed of drop down box choices. "I'm so sorry that you are having this problem, the doctor will be back in the office on Thursday to address your concerns". "We care about our patients, your pain is important to us". They may as well label the message 'donotreply'.
You're an inpatient and Autobot RN enters the room with a fake smile with a scripted speech "What can I do for you, I have the time. On a scale from 1-10, 1 being barely any pain, and 10 being the worst pain imaginable, how would you rate your pain?".
At least try to be a little real, genuine, creative, HUMAN! Our modern approach to medicine, and many other fields, has taken the human touch out of so many of our interactions. No wonder we often feel empty and uncared for.
Well EXCUUUUUSE me! Next time I ask you if you need anything, I will utilize interpretive dance and/or haiku. When I chart your pain scale, I will use a code of my own devising based upon your astrological sign (sun sign only, duh). On days of the month that are prime numbers, I will use hand puppets and hand puppets ONLY.
You win the internet today. Just glad I hadn't just taken a sip of coffee when I read this.
"Your call (light) is very important to us. While you wait for it to be responded to - very quickly, we assure you - please consider which enticing beverage you would like to enjoy next, or what specific food item/service/facility/doctor/nurse/aide/article of furniture/draperies/temperature/etc. you'd like to complain about."
And of course, one of the major reasons that Press Ganey is so important is the ties to reimbursement. The better the scores, the greater the reimbursement or the hospital is not incurring financial penalties from the Feds or the healthcare insurance companies. In many cases, the salary or bonus of the facility CEO is tied directly to the satisfaction scores. I was at a facility in which the hospital CEO earned a $ 125,000 bonus that year for the Press Ganey scores. As far as I know, that bonus was not shared with the people who actually did the work.
We are waitresses, working for tips. Except we don't get to keep the tips.
September 1970. I applied for a job selling encyclopedias door-to-door (Good Lord, I'm Old !). I got the job but on the first day we were to spend 4 hours memorizing the script for sales and collection of payment. I walked. I couldn't stand it then and wouldn't put up with it now.
Specializes in Clinical Research, Outpt Women's Health.
Well, I hear some nurses are forced by their employers to use that scripting stuff which i think is absolutely ridiculous and condescending sounding and I really feel for those poor nurses..
I wish my PCP office would do email even if most was autobot. It would beat the VM phone tree BS and never getting a response LOL.
Well according to a couple other posters that kind of automation is being encouraged in some settings. Which, like you, I find sad, impersonal and frankly unprofessional. What you and others are describing is not an RN practicing at the top of his/her licensure -- even if we only look at the therapeutic relationship.
Wow. I'm sorry you've had that response. I think you should fill out a patient satisfaction survey about it -- and I only mean that half joking. Looks like the bright ideas of upper management are backfiring.
Encouraged? I'd say more like mandatory if you want to keep your job.
We are told " this is how it will be, and its not going to go away"
We even have little script cards that we are supposed to have with us.
That's what the suits think the public wants so they can get good scores on the hcahps surveys.
No wonder nurses in my neck of the woods feel like servants/maids with an RN license.
Welcome to my world
PS. And we have been told by the manager " if you don't like it, you can leave". Which they know makes you desperate, as there are so many extra nurses available waiting to take your job. ( we have 5 colleges in the are churning out rns 2x a year
One of the questions is about controlling pain, so we're supposed to make comments to the patient like, "Good! Your pain is at a 7 instead of an 8. We're controlling your pain."
And they wonder why there is an opioid addiction problem in the US.
Just last night, I had a patient DEMAND "dilaudin" for her pain, and the doc happily wrote up the order for it.
Part of the SATISFACTION process is the assumption you will have ZERO pain. Even if it means going into respiratory depression.
Horseshoe, BSN, RN
5,879 Posts
As a patient, I've never been the recipient of insincere/artificial scripting. Didn't know it was a "thing."