Bedside Manners - Patient styles vs. Caregiver styles
Posted by Charlie Hauck on Tue, Mar 08, 2011 @ 07:30 AM
When in Rome do as the Romans do sounds simple enough. But when treating a patient, how capable are physicians, nurses and other caregivers at addressing the patient in a style that is most accommodating to that patient? Understanding that not all patients will want to be communicated with the same way can be crucial in developing the all important skill that is most commonly know as tremendous bedside manner. Is it the patient’s responsibility to change to accommodate the caregiver or should the caregiver make the adjustments to keep the patient most comfortable?
Often attending physicians and nurses may describe a patient as too demanding or impatient, when in reality that patient’s behavior is just an indicator of how to best address and interact with them. The common mistake made in many care delivery settings is that far too often the healthcare professional may be highly trained on the treatment of an illness or disease, but not nearly as skilled at the most effective ways to communicate with the patients. As in all situations where two human beings must be able to interact, being able to recognize and accommodate the difference in style can greatly determine the effectiveness of that interaction. “Selling” a diagnosis and treatment plan to a patient that is a professional engineer may create more discomfort than optimism. On the other hand, delivering nothing but the facts in a clinical manner, may leave a patient with a more highly emotional style feeling less than secure in the physician’s competence.
With more and more emphasis being placed on Patient Satisfaction scores it may not be enough to just be highly trained in a medical specialty. The healthcare organizations, no matter how large or small, that focus on more effective and personalized ways to deliver that care in one on one settings and are fluid enough to match the patient’s style will become preferred over the organizations that focus purely on technical delivery of care. When treating a Roman treat him in a way that that Roman wants to be treated.