If you work in a medical office and have never sat out in your waiting room during office hours, I highly recommend it. You might be surprised by what you hear coming out of your front office. Or try sitting quietly in one of your patient rooms and note what you hear discussed in the hall outside the door.
At a time when patient privacy is such a big issue, I am often surprised at what I hear coming out of the front office or waiting in the exam room of some medical practices.
There are certain things patients and their families should never hear while visiting your office.
They should never hear your staff complain about co workers or other patients. If you can’t work on anything else in your practice, work on courtesy among staff members. Patients do notice if there is a lot of grumbling going on or passing the buck or laying blame. It leaves a very bad impression on patients and suggests that your work environment is not a very happy place.
Monitor voice tone and volume when talking on the telephone, scheduling patients or taking info at the front desk. Patients should not be privy to sensitive information regarding other patients. Regular reminders to staff may be necessary.
Be careful what is discussed in the halls outside patient rooms or even what is said in the rooms, if your walls are not very thick. Consider talk zones where you know other patients will not be hearing what you are discussing with your staff regarding other patients.
Remember, a patient’s perception of your practice may be different from what you think of how deliver care.
Great post Karen! I think many of us have overheard things in medical offices that we shouldn’t have.
Thanks for commenting, Suzanne. I agree, we have all heard more than we should have, at times
Agreed…or listening to personal conversations among the staff isn’t very appropriate either.
I agree to that, too, Maria. Thanks for commenting.