Ever felt a palpable change in bedside manner once your healthcare team learned you are a nurse? Have you ever noticed a difference in your own attitude towards a patient once you learned that they work in health care, & have you ever thought about it? I have. Nurses Announcements Archive
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You have been there before or at least I have, where I enter the room begin gathering patient history and reason for admission when there it is... it's obvious from the patient responses -they are not your layperson patient and eventually reveal that they too work in healthcare; Usually I feel like I can handle it and nothing changes in my bedside manner, -or does it?
Until a recent experience of being on the other side, (the patient -not the provider) I always thought my communications with fellow health care workers were fine...but were they? I have compiled a list of all the things that struck me as odd and unsettling in my experiences as a patient. These experiences served to remind me that not only am I a healthcare provider but a patient (and a customer) and therefore just as worthy of the courtesy and professionalism that is afforded any other patient. That being said I'm going to take this into account whenever I come across a fellow healthcare worker as a patient in my practice.
So without further ado... What NOT to do when your patient works in healthcare too...
Discuss the finer points of ICD10 coding. Yes -they are bothersome and tricky but please don't waste my time (the patient) complaining about them.
Assume that I know everything about your practice. Healthcare is huge and can be very specialized so my knowledge base may differ from yours.
Revert to technical jargon. Granted, -as a healthcare provider I may understand what you are saying but I'm not on the job and frankly don't want to be while I'm the patient. So explain it like I'm 5. Please, if I'm really sick I won't be offended, honestly. (Understandably this is going to vary and someone might get offended so in that case -jargon it up. Remember the mantra in school about "Always be flexible!" =P
Complain about time constraints. Nothing makes a patient feel uncomfortable like telling them that you didn't even have time to review their chart before seeing them. Really.
Badmouth other practitioners. We all work with them; please don't bring them to my appointment. Comparisons and scoffing at their mistakes don't make me (the patient) feel more confident in your practice.
Interrupt after posing a question. Why ask if you have no interest in hearing the answer? I realize there are time restrictions, yet I have also discovered some very important information that has directly affected patient outcomes by allowing for 'the long answer'; Remember that when someone is sick they can't necessarily be concise.
Partake in professional one-upmanship. What is it about the medical profession that attracts this kind of behavior?
Treat the computer. Eye contact it so important! Just because I'm in the business doesn't give you the provider permission to effectively use our appointment to catch up on paperwork.
And last but not least...
Don't hand a family member of the patient (whom you've just learned is a nurse) a shoulder immobilizer and say "You should probably know how to work this." then walk away.
Remember that stress and fear reduces a person's IQ significantly and take that into account during patient education. Please KISS (Keep It Short & Simple). Where Did My IQ points Go? | Psychology Today
Treat me like a patient (not a colleague) with the same fears and concerns that anyone else might have.
It's discouraging or perhaps encouraging how the 'Don't' list outnumbers the 'Do' list. Obviously, the 'Do' list will take more time and patients (pun intended). I'm sure that all of us at one point or another have guarded against telling our providers what we do for a living to ensure an unbiased approach to our care. On the same note when visiting family members in the hospital I have warned them against revealing my profession for the same reasons.
For me I will endeavor to remember: with all my patients' health care professional or not -ultimately we are all just people and want to feel safe and taken care of in the healthcare setting. What are some of your experiences? What would you add to the 'Do' and 'Don't' list?