WOMENS-HEALTH Messages for June, 1997: Re: Awaiting the results

Re: Awaiting the results

From: Holly (anonymous@obgyn.net)
Wed, 18 Jun 1997 06:52:28 -0500 (CDT)

Messages sorted by: [ date ][ thread ][ subject ][ author ]
Next message: Janis: "HRTand breast CA risk"
Previous message: Joel: "Re: Post natal Protruding Uterus"
In reply to: D. Ashley Hill, M.D.: "Re: Awaiting the results"
Next in thread: anonymous@obgyn.net: "Re: Awaiting the results"

At Tue, 17 Jun 1997, D. Ashley Hill, M.D. wrote: >
>At Tue, 17 Jun 1997, anonymous@obgyn.net wrote:
>
>>I went for the ultrasound today. I asked the nurse who was taking it, to
>>PLEASE show me anything that she sees. In the process of her doing it i say
>>her taking pictures of something. When i asked what she was taking pictures
>>of, i got told " I cant tell you"! Needles to say i got very upset.
>
>Carrie-
>
>It sure sounds like there is a communication breakdown somewhere, but in
>defense of the ultrasound tech (who is not a nurse) and the radiologist,
>I would usually be very unhappy to have either of them making editorial
>comments to my patients about their ultrasounds. The tech is a trained
>professional, but is not a doctor or nurse, and as such would not be
>comfortable making complex medical evaluations. Radiologists are
>usually extremely bright (in fact, most were near the top of their med
>school class) but they do not have the benefit of the entire clinical
>picture, nor have they done the all important pelvic exam. So, their
>remarks would be pure speculation. The only person really qualified to
>evaluate the "big picture" is the doctor, midwife, or nurse practitioner
>who has examined you and knows your history the best.
>
>It sounds like your doctor needs to "tune up" his office staff with
>regards to considerate communication (and you can help him or her do
>this by making your feelings known, by letter, with a carbon copy to the
>office manager). However, your doctor has numerous patients, many of
>whom had equally important tests ordered that day. It would simply be
>impossible to field the hundreds (literally) of phone calls from
>patients who called the same day as their ultrasound (or blood work, or
>Pap smear, or mammogram) to find out the results and speak to the
>doctor. It just can't be done, nor is it in the best interests of you
>or other patients. Please give him or her a few days to get the report
>from the radiologist, find your chart, review the test results in the
>context of your history and exam, and call you with the results. As
>much as you want the results, there are very, very few test results in
>medicine that cannot wait a few days :)
>
>Please consider voicing your concerns about discourteous staff to the
>doctor and office manager. It may be just the documentation they are
>looking for to "educate" that staff member!
>
>Take care, and best of luck with your situation.
>
>Ashley
>
>--
>Ashley Hill
>D. Ashley Hill, M.D.
>Assistant Director, Department of Ob/Gyn
>Florida Hospital Family Practice Residency
>Orlando, FL
>dahmd@gate.net
>

Carrie -

As a former Office Manager (for 10 yrs.) of a very busy medical practice, I have to agree 100% with Barbara and Dr. Hill. Sometimes the office staff forgets that the patients they talk with each day are either 1. Not feeling well 2. Worried/Concerned 3. Frightened, or a little of all that and more. Sometimes they need to be reminded that if 10 patients call, all with the same question, each one has to feel that their question is important.

I know that in the office where I worked, we used to do some role playing exercises (everyone participated - even the doctors) to develop good listening, information gathering, conflict resolution skills, etc. As situations would arise, we would jot the scenerio down and put it in a basket. Every two weeks we'd pull a few out of the basket to use for part of our ongoing staff training. It might sound silly, but everyone thought it was helpful and it was always enlightening.

Medical practices also have their share of hard to please patients - for whom no answer is ever acceptable. You may have caught a staff member on a day when she had just finished talking with one of those patients. That doesn't mean that you should be treated like your question is insignificant, but it could have just been a bad day. A word to the office manager and/or doctor would be a good way to get a reminder through to that staff member.

Finally, just a note from my experience with sonograms during my two pregnancies. I feel pretty lucky that my doctor does his own sonograms, so I get to bombard him with 100 questions right there on the spot ;-) However, most of the time, if a medical professional does a test of any kind and notices something that needs to be addressed immediately, the primary doctor or other medical professional is called.

Good luck Carrie - hang in there!

Holly

Next message: Janis: "HRTand breast CA risk"
Previous message: Joel: "Re: Post natal Protruding Uterus"
In reply to: D. Ashley Hill, M.D.: "Re: Awaiting the results"
Next in thread: anonymous@obgyn.net: "Re: Awaiting the results"

Women's Insurance Checklist from Auto Insurance Quote

use when must restrict search to only the women's health forum...
Enter search keywords:
	Returns per screen: Require all keywords: