Hi Zaneta. I enjoy reading your post and I agree with what you wrote. The power of touch is very important with patient care. Nobody wants to be sick and in the hospital. Having a medical professional who can balance the medical aspect, but can also have a warm caring aspect will make a world of difference for patient. I know for myself, staying in the hospital or going to the doctor, the doctor’s temperament and bedside manner play a lot in whether or not I want to change doctors. I have had encounters with that made me feel like I was test subject, by being cold and no conversation. It was a quick checkup that took fifteen minutes and he was out the door. I also had doctors and nurses who were just wonderful. They were pleasant, I felt like
A man walks into an emergency room with an intense pain in his abdomen. He is hoping to find a doctor who knows how to treat him. The doctor enters his room and begins robotically palpating his abdomen, showing no hint of recognition for the pain he is in. The man begins to ask himself, “Does this doctor care that I am in extreme pain?” He then wonders, “If he doesn’t care that I am in pain, how motivated can he be to ease my pain?” This might seem like a silly question. If the physician didn’t care about healing people, why would he become a doctor? Modern technology has caused doctors to become complacent and emotionally detached from their patients. Doctors must be empathetic towards their
But down to its most fundamental level, patients’ needs is nothing more than the presence of someone that could offer them the great comfort they long for. Nonetheless, it is sad to see that this humanistic aspect is fading away and being corroded by the rapidly modernizing health care settings.
Still, more often than not, patients simply wanted someone to talk with to make the time pass in a more personable and enjoyable way. After all, most patients did not choose to be in the hospital and are generally, to some extent, afraid. They are scared because their wellbeing and happiness is at stake, and they may not fully understand their ailments; as physicians do with years of training and experience. Beyond being advised about their condition and treatment options, patients simply want to know that you sincerely care about their wellness and that they are not simply “patient #13” for the day. The most important thing I learned is that physicians need to exercise sympathy, empathy, and compassion when interacting with patients.
A 21-year-old female was brought in by the paramedics, briefing the team that she was found unconscious on the woman’s restroom floor. Upon arrival, she was confused and frightened as she stared at the uniformed strangers in an unfamiliar environment. As other paramedics were taking her vitals, I softly spoke to her and reassured her that she was in a safe place and she will be taken care of. By accompanying her and sharing each other’s stories, she was able to calm down as well as have her trust instilled in our team. As she went from a defensive to relaxed demeanor, I have realized that these bedside manners are what open a gateway to patient trust. Gaining patients trust was a challenging but crucial skill in order to provide strong patient care. Regardless of what she was doing at the event, our team’s focus was on her health. This mirrors the core mission statement of Rock Med, “setting the standards in non-judgemental medicine”. It is this approach that I want to apply into my career as a physician; taking the initiative by actively engaging with patient in order to bring comfort and trust in their most vulnerable time. I have seen many physicians disregard consoling patients during a time of need. It is not enough to simply treat the patient. A good physician will also bring comfort throughout the healing process, putting aside patient worries. This simple yet
There are many health professionals out there who do help patients out, but some professionals like doctors don’t know to treat their patients or how to make patients at easy if something goes wrong. The doctors should have a lot of confident, experience, and treat patients with easy. According to “Wedmed” “Doctors traits should be Confident, empathetic, humane, personal, forthright, respectful, and thorough” (2006). The reason is because patients shouldn’t feel like they are patient of some type of game to that they don’t get better. If they don’t want to treat patients and their families right maybe they should not be part of the this type of professional because it does take a lot of schooling and a lot of time form this type of work. There
People should not feel this way when entering a hospital or doctors office. They should feel like they are going to be given the best care and treatments possible. It is important to recognize the causes of this problem to create a solution.
Every day I witnessed the compassion and commitment of the nurses towards their patients as they spent time with them and formed personal connections, whereas doctors would stop in for a few minutes before moving on to
This role does not only allow me to shadow doctors while they engage with patients, providing an opportunity to gain invaluable information and advises. This role requires most of my attention towards patients’ needs, which helps to establish a professional relationship and understand what they expect a doctor to be: caring and sensitive but decisive. As English is not my first language, my bilingual skills give me a chance to help some patients through being a translator. It is not the dream job anyone imagines, hours of sleepless shifts, tremendous responsibility with no room for errors as dealing with fragile lives and not products. This only further strengthens my decision to pursue medicine. What I most admire is how empathetic a doctor can be yet unaffected during a critical situation. It is more than just a skill; it is a talent.
To go into a doctor’s office and be in awful pain and you are upset at the same time is a living nightmare if the persons you are trying to tell the problem to act indifferent towards you, it makes you even more upset and the pain seems to get worse. But if you go in and a person approach you with concern and interest in what you are upset about then you seem to calm down and want to talk and tell what the problem is and where you may even give too much information just because you realize that someone is really listening to what you have to say and seem to care. Now you can get the help you came
Observing a GP during patient consultations, seeing his genuine concern and caring interest in each case, demonstrated fully the importance of compassion and effective communication. In a GP home visit, I met an elderly lady with Alzheimer's, who displayed no wish to cooperate, something I initially found difficult to comprehend. However, on reflection I understood the patient's right to refuse treatment, perhaps indicating this person's wish to retain some control in their life. The variety of my work experience has meant that I have been in the company of professionals who exhibited traits I believe I have developed through mentoring and teaching. These traits such as courtesy and empathy would ensure that I adopt a composed manner in sensitive or stressful situations, enabling me to communicate my understanding of what they are experiencing both physically and
The health care reform laws have caused inevitable problems for doctors struggling to adapt to the bureaucratic and flawed industry. Insurance companies have largely taken control of patient care: choosing which doctors patients can see, dictating what procedures and treatments they will cover, and negotiating lower costs for medical services. The guidelines this third-party has established have put strain on the vital doctor-patient relationship. As physicians are pushed to see more patients per day to overcome pay cuts, patient satisfaction is dwindling due to rushed visits. If this trend continues, the biggest challenge I will face as a physician is preserving the crucial doctor-patient relationship, which I believe is a key ingredient of
Interpersonal skills are important communication strategies for medical practitioners, predominantly to perform accurate assessments and provide quality treatment for patients. Such as the ability to use emotions to better communicate with others, or the ability to empathise with a patient to help establish engagement and feelings of empowerment, both fundamental attributes to effective practice (Sanson-Fisher & Maguire, 1980). Similarly the ability to listen effectively is also fundamental to practice, as it allows the practitioner to ‘get the full picture’ (Eunson 2012). Without interpersonal skills, practitioners such as radiographers are less likely to establish the trust needed to provide quality outcomes (Halpern, 2003). This
The purpose of this paper is to identify and define what bedside manner is, how influences it physicians and identify areas of communication with the patient. The notion of bedside manner necessitates analysis and investigates good bedside manner. One study showed that patients value good bedside manner and comunication skills more than clinical competence. In addition to patient satisfaction with care, good bedside manner has also been responcible in improving overall health condition. “The relevance of the physician’s behavior in medical care has been said to be of greater importance to patients than in other service professions” (Boehm, F. 2008). These new born facts have been related to the fact that the patients must reveal
Patience is key to a successful visit with a patient. For example, a lady who has Alzheimer’s does not like to take her medication. I encouraged her to take her medicine because it is essential for her health. You only need a few minutes to sit with a patient and give them advice. This motivates people to reach their goals. Ask them what are they trying to achieve. Let them know
There are many things that influence a patient’s behavior while they are in the medical office. Some of those things are heredity, culture, and environment. Heredity is the behaviors that one inherits from their parents genetically. As for the culture, these are the beliefs a person is brought up with. This is what they may see or feel is appropriate and this of course will be different from one person to the next, especially those of different cultural backgrounds. One’s environment will play a role in how they react in a clinical setting. For instance, a person who is used to having the best of everything will expect nothing but perfection from the health care provider and their staff; whereas someone who may be visiting a clinic or hospital for the first time in their lives may feel like they are getting the best treatment regardless of how well the staff is performing.