BEDSIDE MANNERS OF E.R. DOCTORS

BEDSIDE MANNERS OF E.R. DOCTORS 

Tonight's #HealthXPH tweetchat topic drew its inspiration from an article published in MindanaoTimes which went viral on facebook because the journalist lambasted resident doctors for being fake doctors, simply because of their lack of bedside manners.

Dr. Tony Leachon reminds us to be always on our toes.  Patients nowadays don't trust as easily as before.  Doctors need to earn their patient's trust, and good bedside manners, showing empathy and and expressing compassion are ways to build rapport, alleviate anxiety, give comfort and earn patient's trust.

With patients becoming empowered, they turn to social media with their negative healthcare experiences.  This is a two-edged sword as it could destroy a healthcare professional's reputation or it could provide much needed feedback for healthcare providers to step up their performance.   This was out topic during the #HealthXPH tweetchat last week (July 18, 2015).  This reminds doctors to be vigilant on how they treat their patients regardless of whatever they are going through at that moment in time.

Emma Wilkinson offers tips on how to improve your bedside manner: 
#1 Focus.
#2 Really Listen.
#3 Ensure Privacy.
#4 Be Observant.
#5 Strike the Right Pose.
#6 Don't Judge.
#7 Use Open Questions.
#8 Offer Reassurance.
#9 Choose Words Carefully.
#10 Stay in Control.

Dr. Edgar Lerma shared this article where Leonard Feldman of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine pointed out that basic things make a difference in patient outcomes. Etiquette-based communication include: introducing oneself, explaining one's role in the patient's care, touching the patient, asking open-ended questions such as "How are you feeling today?" and sitting down with the patient.  Maybe I should see if my own residents and interns also fail to do these things, because we don't do these during our grand bedside rounds.  Learning something new everyday, this should also be a reminder to me, to extend compassion to our patients while teaching our students  the science of medicine, we should not forget the art of medicine as well.

My take is on how we were trained in Basic Life Support (BLS), that the very first step would always to tap the patient on the should and ask "hey hey hey are you okay?" - this written and memorized script shows that the priority is ascertaining first of all if the patient is stable enough to respond, and second, to determine how the patient is doing.  In all patient encounters, simply asking a patient whether he or she is okay focuses on the patient and expresses the healthcare provider's concern over the patient's welfare.  At the emergency room where the situation is quite chaotic, simple supportive touches, attentive focused listening and sincere reassurance that everything will be done for the patient are enough to alleviate anxiety and comfort.

And now, the next project for me is to learn about Storify from Marie Ennis-Conner @JBBC like she did for our latest tweetchat.  Thanks for sharing!  Join our next #HealthXPH tweetchat Saturday 9PM Mla / 9AM EST!


Dr Helen V. Madamba, working on my bedside manners