Professional Courtesy, LLC

Karen Hickman specializes in Etiquette and Protocol Consulting and is based out of Fort Wayne, IN | TEL: 260-486-7758

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You are here: Home / Archives for medical manners

Respectful Care

October 24, 2010 by procourtesy

In my last blog post I had a conversation with Robert Hickey, Deputy Director of the Protocol School of Washington; the school that trained me. In Robert’s book, “Honor and Respect, The Official Guide to Names, Titles, & Forms of Address” he discusses how to address people at every level; from the president of the U.S. to governors, religious figures, royals, business people and more.

One of my questions for Robert was how he felt about healthcare professionals addressing patients in a familiar manner or by their first names. Interestingly, he punted the question back to me since the healthcare arena is a special niche for me. And my answer to the question is to err on the side of formality until you are invited to call patients by their first names. It can be offensive to some people, especially “mature” people, to be called by their first names upon their initial visits to a physician’s office. It can be perceived as unprofessional. And very young nurses and physicians should be especially careful. While many patients will invite you to call them by their first names, particularly if they have long-established relationships with your practice, let them lead the way.

Establishing a policy or script for all staff people can be helpful in projecting a  professional impression. Avoid calling patients by endearing terms, like “honey” or “sweetie.” These terms can sound patronizing.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: addressing patients with respect, mature patients, medical manners, medical office calls, patient manners, Professional Courtesy, respectful care, terms of endearment

New Medicine, Same Manners, part II

May 19, 2010 by procourtesy

When my late husband and I were first married we lived in an apartment for a short time. The fact that he was a physician seemed to get around the building fairly quickly and led to frequent medical-related questions from other residents. I was used to people asking for his advice, in and out of the office. It seemed to be part of the job and he was always very gracious in responding.

However, the day a neighbor, whom we had never met, presented herself at our door in her bathrobe to get a diagnosis for her rash I felt a line had been crossed. Imagine my surprise when she opened her robe exposing a naked body! Not a pretty picture.
What’s the morale of the story? Be careful not to take advantage of people and their expertise. There is a time and place to seek medical advice from any physician or health care professional. Certainly, family members and good friends in the field can be a great asset in navigating the complexities of health care today and most are eager to help. However, there are some rules to be considered in and out of the office:
• Don’t turn a social event into an ongoing office call. Just because someone is in the heath care field doesn’t mean they are dying to hear about all of your aches and pains
• If you have an office appointment for yourself don’t bring the whole family and expect them to be seen in your time slot
• If you want to add an additional person, call and see if the physician’s schedule can handle it
• Many practices limit the number of complaints that can be addressed at one appointment. If you have multiple issues you may need another appointment or two.
• Bring your medication list with you at every visit
• If medications and/or dosages have changed, be sure to ask if the new medicine is replacing one you have been taking. This helps avoid double dosing.
• Be sure to introduce any friend and/or family member who may go with you to an office visit. Let the doctor know their relationship to you.

A little courtesy and understanding on the patients’ side is important and will be greatly appreciated by the physician and staff. I know…I was once an office nurse.
Please feel free to share your thoughts and experiences regarding this.

Filed Under: medical etiquette Tagged With: medical manners, medical office calls, patient manners, Professional Courtesy

Essentials for Health Care

July 23, 2009 by procourtesy

 


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Essentials in Healthcare
It is no doubt the technical training of a physician or dentist is of utmost importance in his or her practice. The expertise of a knowledgeable professional allows for trust and loyalty from patients. And yet, many patients don’t develop that trust and loyalty, no matter how skilled the medical and dental care, because of the unprofessional treatment they’ve encountered on the way to the examination room. 
 
Too often, as practices continue to grow larger, compassion in medicine and dentistry is forfeited through lengthy holds when scheduling appointments, an unprofessional air in the office, impersonal first impressions, and overall insensitive actions from the office staff. And this has a measurable effect on patient relations: research show us that up to one-third of malpractice suits stem from bad behavior on the part of the doctor or staff. 
 
As a former nurse and longtime member of the Fort Wayne (Indiana) Medical Society-Alliance, I understand health care. And as a trained expert in etiquette and protocol, I understand the importance of professional courtesy. Marrying my experiences in medicine and etiquette, I’m able to effectively address the growing perception of unprofessional medical and dental practices and then provide teams the tools they need to create a distinguished and caring practice. 
 
Recently, I was able to partner with the Fort Wayne Medical Society-Alliance to provide the Fort Wayne Medical Society with what the Alliance titled “Compassion in Medicine,” a researched-based educational seminar and comprehensive training program. I had the opportunity to enlighten over 200 office staff, receptionists, administrators, nurses, clinicians, and office managers with my Professional Courtesy Essentials program. The staff members learned how to professionally apply communication skills, conflict management, technology etiquette, and the development of a positive cultural philosophy while participating in role-play scenarios to better understand and relate to the patients. Further, the Alliance used the seminar as a fundraiser and contributed $15,000 to community charities related to health care and health education.  
 
The partnership between my Professional Courtesy Essentials program, the medical society, and the alliance created the opportunity to meet the goals of continuing education; excellence in health care; and care for patients, their families, and the community. I would be delighted to share this valuable and important message with you and your alliance and community, while educating and encouraging what I am sure is already excellent medical and dental care from your local medical or dental association. Please feel free to contact me for more information about the program and the opportunity to increase the professionalism in medicine and patient satisfaction. 

Sincerely, 

Karen Hickman

Filed Under: medical manners Tagged With: communication skills, etiquette expert, Karen Hickman, medical etiquette, medical manners, Professional Courtesy

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