I'm sorry, but I didn't realize I signed up to please the customer. While the nurses go around reminding the patients this is a hospital, not a hotel, we get notices that we SHOULD make these people feel like they're in a hotel. Or "even if you know they're wrong, you should apologize and let them know that they're right" THIS IS AN ACTUAL MEMO THAT APPEARED IN MY MAILBOX.
... oh but it gets worse.
I got tapped on the shoulder by the "hospital customer service rep" telling me this patient (customer) really really wants a milkshake and would really make her day if she could have a milkshake. And I tell this rep this patient just had a bowel resection yesterday and not only can she NOT have a milkshake, but she probably can't even have water, even ice, for the next couple days. I spend all day listening to this patient whine and complain, and now the hospital has provided her a rep to follow me out in the hallway to whine and complain. And neither of them can admit that although a milkshake would make the patient really happy for about 15 mins, going back to surgery and prolonging the recovery would not. I know there's a lot of things in the medical field that seem downright cruel. But if we go by "the customer is always right" keep the patient/customer happy, there will be consequences.
Should customer service be #1 priority? Or am I just being delusional believing that patient safety is more important than patient satisfaction?
I have not been on this site in several months, but saw a headline in my e-mail that caught my attention and after reading all the posts on this topic, felt compelled to comment. I have been in nursing for over 20 years, so I'm not new to the field. I recall the days of restricted visiting hours, and have worked in almost every area of the hospital. I can honestly say that I am simply appalled by some of the comments I'm reading on here, the sarcasm, the general "meanness" that's coming through from some of the posters. I have to believe that people go into nursing because they actually CARE for people.....what has happened to get your focus away from CARING for your patient, rather than performing TASKS? What I'm reading are statements from several nurses who seem to think that the patient and his/her family members are a hindrance to them being able to perform their tasks....when in reality, the patient AND the family members are the only reason you have a job. And the harsh reality is, they DO have a choice (in most cases) of where to go for their healthcare needs.
Put yourself in their shoes.....would you want to be treated the way it appears that you treat your patients and their loved ones? How would you feel if your family member was in the hospital and you were treated like a visitor at a prison rather than a hospital? Imagine that you're not a nurse and don't have any knowledge of medicine.....perhaps then, those requests wouldn't seem so unreasonable...they simply don't know better, and it's your job as the CAREGIVER to educate them.
It has been proven that patients recover faster when they have a strong support system (a.k.a., family members). A smart nurse would utilize that resource to help in the patient's recovery. Many hospitals have recognized this and even included the family in the healthcare team. For the person who stated "What if the patient codes in the middle of the night and the family is in the way".......look at the other side of that....what if the patient codes, and you just finished your rounds and won't be back in that room for an hour....the family member is the one who will notice something isn't right and alert you. What a shame to not respect this valuable part of the healthcare team.
Bottom line...if you're so miserable being a nurse and dealing with patient and their families, get out of the profession. You're making all the other caring nurses look bad, and hurting your hospital's reputation. When the hospital loses business, cutbacks have to be made....this means layoffs, payroll freezes, and other "drastic" measures. Your bad attitude is costing everyone.
as an "old nurse" of 30+ years, I see a frightening trend in our hospitals: patient satisfaction is the most important measure of a good hospital! Not patient safety, not patient health improvement but patient happiness! I feel like I am being asked to be a hostess at a resort, not a nurse!
My "mantra" has always been "Patient Safety First"....
A "nice nurse" is NOT synonomous with a "good nurse"!
I always explain the difference to my patients and their families. Ex. after delivering a baby, the nurse must massage the uterine fundus to check for bleeding, to minimize postpartum blood loss. This does NOT feel very good and just plain hurts most of the time! Most patients complain, and families often ask me to not do this procedure because the patient complains of pain, and have just giving birth. My explination? "Do you want a good nurse or a nice nurse?" I go on to explain that a nice nurse would not do funal massage because it hurts... then when the patient gets out of bed, they could often pass massive amounts of blood and clots, even faint and fall to the floor, perhaps requiring a blood transfusion OR, I could be a good nurse and do fundal massage, even though it is uncomfortable, and help the patient safely recover from the delivery." .... guess what all of them pick?
I hate this trend towards patient satisfaction as the primary measure of good nursing.
I think we are going to be stuck with it for a while, so patient/family education will be more necessary than ever! Haze
I can honestly say that I am simply appalled by some of the comments I'm reading on here, the sarcasm, the general "meanness" that's coming through from some of the posters. I have to believe that people go into nursing because they actually CARE for people.....what has happened to get your focus away from CARING for your patient, rather than performing TASKS? What I'm reading are statements from several nurses who seem to think that the patient and his/her family members are a hindrance to them being able to perform their tasks....when in reality, the patient AND the family members are the only reason you have a job. And the harsh reality is, they DO have a choice (in most cases) of where to go for their healthcare needs.
Put yourself in their shoes.....would you want to be treated the way it appears that you treat your patients and their loved ones? How would you feel if your family member was in the hospital and you were treated like a visitor at a prison rather than a hospital? Imagine that you're not a nurse and don't have any knowledge of medicine.....perhaps then, those requests wouldn't seem so unreasonable...they simply don't know better, and it's your job as the CAREGIVER to educate them.
It has been proven that patients recover faster when they have a strong support system (a.k.a., family members).
...
Bottom line...if you're so miserable being a nurse and dealing with patient and their families, get out of the profession. You're making all the other caring nurses look bad, and hurting your hospital's reputation. When the hospital loses business, cutbacks have to be made....this means layoffs, payroll freezes, and other "drastic" measures. Your bad attitude is costing everyone.
I respectfully disagree. There have been some strongly worded posts in this thread and many similar ones ... but those strong words convey the sometimes overwhelming frustration of nurses trying desperately to provide the best, most appropriate care for the patient while being hindered in doing so from multiple sources -- redundant documentation requirements, conflicts with ancilliary services, ioditic customer satisfaction surveys, and yes, families.
Does a good emotional support system help the patient? Absolutely. However, given today's "customer service" mentality and melodramatic media reports, too many families interpret their "support" role as an adversarial one. Some family members are amenable to education on their loved one's plan of care, but many are not. This thread is filled with examples.
And those "tasks" you speak so disparagingly of ... are the prescribed plan of care and the reason for the patient's hospitalization. I'm not saying that kindness isn't a part of that - of course it is. But if a warm smile and a pat on the head were all that the patient required to get well ... they wouldn't be in the hospital.
Specializes in Med/surg,orthopedics,emergency room,.
You know, I blame this on ignorance on the patient. They knew good and well that they couldn't have a milkshake. I think she did it to see who would relent.The irony of this is if someone gave her a milkshake, and she has complications- WHAM!!!!! lawsuit. So in many ways we cannot win. One thing to keep in mind is that patients do, well, LIE. If the procedure was explained to her, and she knew exactly what she was doing. I also blame the rep because he/she should have spoken to the nurse or doctor, gotten the full story before taking the patient's 'side'.
Please understand, I am not "disparaging" tasks at all, and am well aware of what the prescribed plan of care is. I also understand the challenges and frustrations facing nurses. Nowhere did I imply that a pat on the head and a smile are all that is needed. My statements were in direct response to the "strong words" you cited. I find it very sad that many (not all) nurses are so focused on the task (albeit important) that they forget they're working with a person, not an object. Many have lost the ability to empathize with their patients or with the family members. I can't help but wonder how they would react if a nurse treated them as they treat others. I stand by my statements, but respect your right to disagree.
Yes, it can all be very annoying and we think it frivolous and a waste of our valuable time, and it probably is in the entire scope of our responsibilities BUT and this is a big BUT, patients will not hesitate to sue you, the hospital, and anyone else that they feel has not treated them with the utmost dignity and respect. The number one reason patients sue has to do with the way they are treated, and although I do not use that as a barometer of how I treat my patients, I do think it is worthwhile to at least consider the implications. If a patient is angry because they feel ignored or neglected, and then something goes wrong, you can bet your bottom dollar, they will be looking to cause trouble. And if anyone has ever been deposed in a civil case, it is very scary and unpleasant, and something I would definitely try to avoid.
I mention all of this because it is true and even though we might like to drop kick that pain in the butt down the hall, it would be in your best interest to smile, and do your utmost to be the best that you can be.
I'm sorry, but I didn't realize I signed up to please the customer. While the nurses go around reminding the patients this is a hospital, not a hotel, we get notices that we SHOULD make these people feel like they're in a hotel. Or "even if you know they're wrong, you should apologize and let them know that they're right" THIS IS AN ACTUAL MEMO THAT APPEARED IN MY MAILBOX.
... oh but it gets worse.
I got tapped on the shoulder by the "hospital customer service rep" telling me this patient (customer) really really wants a milkshake and would really make her day if she could have a milkshake. And I tell this rep this patient just had a bowel resection yesterday and not only can she NOT have a milkshake, but she probably can't even have water, even ice, for the next couple days. I spend all day listening to this patient whine and complain, and now the hospital has provided her a rep to follow me out in the hallway to whine and complain. And neither of them can admit that although a milkshake would make the patient really happy for about 15 mins, going back to surgery and prolonging the recovery would not. I know there's a lot of things in the medical field that seem downright cruel. But if we go by "the customer is always right" keep the patient/customer happy, there will be consequences.
Should customer service be #1 priority? Or am I just being delusional believing that patient safety is more important than patient satisfaction?
I think it should go without saying that patient safety is the number one priority. I would have probably written up an incident report on this, stating that the customer service rep was not only advocating for something that could have caused harm to the patient, but that they were also preventing you from being able to give your attention to your other patients, and their interruptions of your concentration could have caused a med error. Seriously!
yeah, bring back the visiting hours. what gets me is those married people who have been together say 40 years and when the other half goes into the hospital, the other one is there caring for their every whim and letting you know that everything you do is wrong! i agree that clients should be treated well after all, without their money i would not have a place to work but the a#$ kissing has got to stop.
wow...i don't have time to read through all the responses but what strikes me is the negativity here. have none of you been in the hospital? have you never had a loved one in the hospital? each of us as nurses knows intimately the kinds of mistakes that can happen so we of all people should be understanding when family members want to be around. i am personally very grateful that when i was hospitalized i had a family member with me 24 hrs/day because it ended up preventing several serious errors and facilitated my pain control which, unfortunately, the rns did not seem interested in taking charge of.
of course we have a responsibility to educate and yes, in my 32 years i have run into many challenging family situations. but isn't that one of the things we are trained for? our job is to provide holistic care and the family is part of the package. who do you think will be assisting that patient when they leave us?
and bravo to the writer who pointed out that we are not medicine, we are nursing and we are our own profession...be proud of it!
dawnd470
10 Posts
I have not been on this site in several months, but saw a headline in my e-mail that caught my attention and after reading all the posts on this topic, felt compelled to comment. I have been in nursing for over 20 years, so I'm not new to the field. I recall the days of restricted visiting hours, and have worked in almost every area of the hospital. I can honestly say that I am simply appalled by some of the comments I'm reading on here, the sarcasm, the general "meanness" that's coming through from some of the posters. I have to believe that people go into nursing because they actually CARE for people.....what has happened to get your focus away from CARING for your patient, rather than performing TASKS? What I'm reading are statements from several nurses who seem to think that the patient and his/her family members are a hindrance to them being able to perform their tasks....when in reality, the patient AND the family members are the only reason you have a job. And the harsh reality is, they DO have a choice (in most cases) of where to go for their healthcare needs.
Put yourself in their shoes.....would you want to be treated the way it appears that you treat your patients and their loved ones? How would you feel if your family member was in the hospital and you were treated like a visitor at a prison rather than a hospital? Imagine that you're not a nurse and don't have any knowledge of medicine.....perhaps then, those requests wouldn't seem so unreasonable...they simply don't know better, and it's your job as the CAREGIVER to educate them.
It has been proven that patients recover faster when they have a strong support system (a.k.a., family members). A smart nurse would utilize that resource to help in the patient's recovery. Many hospitals have recognized this and even included the family in the healthcare team. For the person who stated "What if the patient codes in the middle of the night and the family is in the way".......look at the other side of that....what if the patient codes, and you just finished your rounds and won't be back in that room for an hour....the family member is the one who will notice something isn't right and alert you. What a shame to not respect this valuable part of the healthcare team.
Bottom line...if you're so miserable being a nurse and dealing with patient and their families, get out of the profession. You're making all the other caring nurses look bad, and hurting your hospital's reputation. When the hospital loses business, cutbacks have to be made....this means layoffs, payroll freezes, and other "drastic" measures. Your bad attitude is costing everyone.