Photo by Camilo Jimenez on Unsplash
I pray this never happens to you or your loved one!
Real World Story: Recently, my mother spent time in the hospital. It all started with a fall. She was transported by ambulance to the nearest hospital, where she spent a total of four days, and the service she and I experienced was all over the place. What continues to stand out is the HORRIBLE treatment by many staffers in the Emergency Room, from the security crew to the x-ray technicians to the ER nurses.
Our horrible experience began with the security office. After we were checked in, I was given a visitor’s badge and told to go through the double doors at the end of the hall. However, when I approached the doors, they were locked. I just stood there and stared at a sign that read, “Authorized Personnel Only.” I returned to the guard to ask about this, and all he said was, “Oh. Oops. I forgot to open the door.” No apology. No remorse. No nothing.
I eventually walked through the now open doors and headed to my mom’s room. On entering, I tried my usual approach of making light of a tough situation by using humor. The duty nurse who was tending to my mom never looked at me, acknowledged my comments, or even noticed my existence. She was exceedingly business-like and showed no compassion or genuine interest in my mom or me.
At one point, an x-ray technician came in and announced, “x-ray!” He then started moving about equipment and unplugging monitors without saying another word. It was all very confusing and daunting. Eventually exasperated, I asked, “Are you taking her somewhere to get x-rays or something?” to which he replied matter of factly, “Yes! Shoulder, hip and chest.” He was exceedingly rough with my mom to the point of moving her arm so quickly that it caused her to scream out in pain. But he was too much in a hurry to care about my mom or anyone else in that room.
In fact, the entire ten hours that my mom was in the ER, most of the staffers were very rough and uncaring with her. For example, instead of lowering or raising her bed slowly, they would do it so abruptly that it would cause my mom to scream out in pain. When they took blankets off her to check vitals, they would not put them back to keep her warm and comfortable. They behaved in a manner that signified they were going to perform only the minimal amount of work required, so we eventually began to feel like we were a big bother to them.
Fortunately, all of the other hospital staff outside the ER were incredible and awesome, so when I asked them about this experience, they simply said, “Oh, that’s how THEY are down in the ER!” What? How awful that everyone knows about this poor treatment of patients who are in need of care.
Strategies that Turn It Around:
- Rule #1 in Healthcare Customer Service: Empathy. You must be able to put yourself in the shoes of your patients. You must be able to empathize with how they feel during their worst times, especially in a hospital. A warm smile goes a long way. A kind word goes even further. Make the conscious attempt to connect with patients and their families.
- Rule #2 in Healthcare Customer Service: Compassion. There is nothing better than the warm touch of a caregiver. Showing compassion is as easy as treating a patient with tenderness and warmth. You don’t need to be everyone’s best friend, but being friendly will go a very long way in making patients feel better instantly.
- Rule #3 in Healthcare Customer Service: Serving others. Do the little things that make people happy. If you remove a blanket, put it back to provide warmth and comfort. When you walk into a patient’s room, introduce yourself the first time. Healthcare is about serving others, so do it with empathy, compassion and dignity.
Remember: Delivering an extraordinary patient experience does not take a lot of time or effort. What it does take is being present, in the moment, with each and every patient. And, yes, you can work quickly and efficiently AND still remain compassionate and caring. We all know it because we’ve all seen it!
What do YOU do to show compassion and caring in a fast-paced environment like an emergency room?