"No, doctor, that is not why I called you."
Yes, another thirty minutes of waiting to speak to a human. The recordings go on and on, then silence, then more recordings. Getting tired of the same tune, the same voice, saying the same statements. Think this is memorized already. Finally !!!!! A human to speak with, but wait... someone is ahead of me...............have to wait longer,,,, ok, now a human.
Ofcourse, you can help me. First, do something about your phone system. Is my time not as valuable as the doctor's time, or the healthcare system's time? I guess not, for I am the one waiting and waiting to speak with a human.
Okay, who is the person at the other end of the phone? How should I communicate my needs to this person? Will they understand? Is it a person with medical background, or a receptionist who answers the phone? So many questions, and, my oh my, so little time. How detailed do I need to be with my question, can't I just say that I want to speak with the doctor? Ofcourse, not, there has to be a reason. They always ask what the problem is, but do they understand? Better yet, do they communicate what I have said accurately to the doctor? That is the question and that is how mistakes are made.
Obviously they did 'not' understand. How do I know? The doctor's nurse called back with a different answer, and apparent, as it was, received a totally different question from the person who took the original question. Much easier to say, "tell the doctor to call me." But, no, can't do that.
Hmm, wondering, did the message I left get mixed up with another patient's message? Maybe? Who knows? Someone knows, but who? Certainly, not I. Get it right, it is my life, not yours that is at stake here. They just don't get it. The importance of taking accurate information means a mistake or not.
Okay, I will speak slowly and give simple words so that the message will be given just as I stated. Guess what? All the time in giving detailed information, to be given to the doctor, was paraphrased. Dear me, now what. Whoever takes a message for the doctor should not be paraphrasing and putting the patient's requests/questions into their words..........this is 'not' okay and this is how mistakes are made.
HINT: 1. Ask who you are speaking with and what is their position.
2. Provide the information you want given to the doctor or his/her nurse.
3. Ask the person taking your message to read the message back to you.
If you get guff from this person, just remind them it is your body and you want to make sure the doctor gets accurate information. Gee whiz, goodness, did I miss something here. The patient comes first. It is okay to ask to have the information you provide repeated back. So the person at the other end gets insulted. Oh well, such if life.... and it is 'your' life not theirs.
Remember, wrong information communicated can, and, often does, result in errors.
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