What is the one place you don’t want to have to go to over the weekend? Well, we found ourselves at the Emergency Room of a local hospital this past weekend. My husband did something to his foot that left him hobbling around in pain, and after much deliberation, he finally agreed it needed immediate attention. Aside from the $200 co-pay for an Emergency Room visit, the possibility of waiting for hours with a room full of sick people was the last way we wanted to spend our Sunday.
Now, our feelings about the Emergency Room is shared by a lot of people, so those who end up there, especially on a weekend, are really sick or injured and are looking for some care and consideration. You would expect that they would have an efficient communication system of checking in patients, notifying them when it’s their turn for treatment, directing them through the maze of corridors and treatment rooms, and ending with a speedy checkout. I wasn’t prepared for what really happened.
I dropped my husband off and, after I parked the car, met him in the waiting room. He was seated, and said that he had checked in. He didn’t have any papers, hadn’t filled anything out, and didn’t know what the next step was. Of course, as most men will do, he looked to me for all the answers. Though he had given his name at the desk, all he was told was to “sit down.” An emergency room is intimidating and most people don’t want to be there in the first place, so communication as to how the process works and the next steps are not only helpful but reassuring and serve to reduce the stress level a bit.
After awhile, we heard what we thought was someone yelling his name from an adjacent waiting room. Since he was sitting right next to the check-in desk, he asked if someone was calling him. Again we heard a voice, louder this time, yelling out “Harper!” We didn’t see the person who was yelling, so it was confusing just who to respond to. He asked the lady at the desk next to him, and she looked at him as if he should know his own name, and said, “Yes, you.” This notification system, some disembodied voice yelling out names, repeated itself again and again.
After they took some history and vital signs, we sat down again, only to be yelled at again by a nurse who led us to the examining room. The doctor came in and examined him, and then said he needed an X-ray. Then someone else came, did the same exam the doctor did, and made little “Xs” on his feet. She never introduced herself and we still don’t know who she was. The doctor reappeared, said it was nothing serious, and said he was going to give him some prescriptions. He left and shut the door, and after awhile, I went out to see if anyone was coming back or if we were supposed to leave. It was only then that we were told by a nurse that he was coming in to give him the prescriptions. Then it was back to the waiting room, were we were yelled at again to check out and pay up.
Patients need respectful communications, clear and simple. In a stressful environment like an Emergency Room, people yelling to each other and no one in particular adds to the fear and discomfort. Investing in something as simple as a digital readout screen announcing the next patient would improve the comfort level of staff and patients alike.
Mary Nestor-Harper, SPHR, is a workplace consultant, blogger, motivational speaker and freelance writer for communicationsjobs.com. Based in Savannah, GA, her work has appeared in Training magazine, Training & Development magazine, Supervision, BiS Magazine and The Savannah Morning News. When she’s not writing, she enjoys singing Alto II with the Savannah Philharmonic Chorus and creating original gift items available on http://www.etsy.spoolhardy.com/. You can read more of her blogs at communicationsjobsblog.com and view additional job postings on Nexxt
Now, our feelings about the Emergency Room is shared by a lot of people, so those who end up there, especially on a weekend, are really sick or injured and are looking for some care and consideration. You would expect that they would have an efficient communication system of checking in patients, notifying them when it’s their turn for treatment, directing them through the maze of corridors and treatment rooms, and ending with a speedy checkout. I wasn’t prepared for what really happened.
I dropped my husband off and, after I parked the car, met him in the waiting room. He was seated, and said that he had checked in. He didn’t have any papers, hadn’t filled anything out, and didn’t know what the next step was. Of course, as most men will do, he looked to me for all the answers. Though he had given his name at the desk, all he was told was to “sit down.” An emergency room is intimidating and most people don’t want to be there in the first place, so communication as to how the process works and the next steps are not only helpful but reassuring and serve to reduce the stress level a bit.
After awhile, we heard what we thought was someone yelling his name from an adjacent waiting room. Since he was sitting right next to the check-in desk, he asked if someone was calling him. Again we heard a voice, louder this time, yelling out “Harper!” We didn’t see the person who was yelling, so it was confusing just who to respond to. He asked the lady at the desk next to him, and she looked at him as if he should know his own name, and said, “Yes, you.” This notification system, some disembodied voice yelling out names, repeated itself again and again.
After they took some history and vital signs, we sat down again, only to be yelled at again by a nurse who led us to the examining room. The doctor came in and examined him, and then said he needed an X-ray. Then someone else came, did the same exam the doctor did, and made little “Xs” on his feet. She never introduced herself and we still don’t know who she was. The doctor reappeared, said it was nothing serious, and said he was going to give him some prescriptions. He left and shut the door, and after awhile, I went out to see if anyone was coming back or if we were supposed to leave. It was only then that we were told by a nurse that he was coming in to give him the prescriptions. Then it was back to the waiting room, were we were yelled at again to check out and pay up.
Patients need respectful communications, clear and simple. In a stressful environment like an Emergency Room, people yelling to each other and no one in particular adds to the fear and discomfort. Investing in something as simple as a digital readout screen announcing the next patient would improve the comfort level of staff and patients alike.
Mary Nestor-Harper, SPHR, is a workplace consultant, blogger, motivational speaker and freelance writer for communicationsjobs.com. Based in Savannah, GA, her work has appeared in Training magazine, Training & Development magazine, Supervision, BiS Magazine and The Savannah Morning News. When she’s not writing, she enjoys singing Alto II with the Savannah Philharmonic Chorus and creating original gift items available on http://www.etsy.spoolhardy.com/. You can read more of her blogs at communicationsjobsblog.com and view additional job postings on Nexxt
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