Voices carry at inopportune times.
Healthcare workers must be more mindful than most. Noise is a common complaint among patients. It can impede their recovery and hurt satisfaction scores.
Monitoring one’s own loudness can be a nearly impossible task. Fortunately, there is effective noise monitoring technology available to do the job for you.
Don’t think you need it? Here are four everyday conversations your patients don’t want to hear and you don’t want to share.
The one about your coworker’s horrible blind date: To be fair, this was traumatic. First, he ordered dinner for her. Then, he talked about how his mother is descended from Danish royalty and that he could be living like a king there, but he prefers to establish his legacy as an American. Yes, he actually used the word “legacy,” then he asked her how many boys she wants to mother. Just awful. Still, patients shouldn’t feel like they need to feel sorry for their caretakers.
The one about your new car: So all the scrimping and scrounging has finally paid off. You’ve traded in the beater for the ride of your dreams. You can’t contain your giddiness. Those who know of your sacrifices are totally happy for you. You deserve it. Unfortunately, there’s a good chance the patient lying in the bed 70 feet away isn’t feeling as amazing as you are. Of course you’re sympathetic to their situation. It’s just easy to get carried away.
The one about your vacation: You’re making rounds and you get cornered by the coworker who is way too interested in other people’s personal lives. “OMG how was Hawaii you look so tan I bet it was amazing was it so amazing???” This person will not be satisfied until she knows the drinks you ordered. You share a few details, reluctantly. Meanwhile, your patient is within earshot, her best view is of $10 paradise wall art and all she wants is an orange juice.
The one about your sick kids: You feel right as rain, knock on wood, but your little ones have been home with a stomach bug for the past week. You haven’t been sick in 10 years because your immune system is basically invincible, but your patient probably doesn’t know that. Now when you walk into their room, they see a walking Petri dish. You would never intentionally broadcast your family’s health. Your patient just happens to have bat-like hearing abilities.
Our Deluxe Yacker Tracker is an effective patient satisfaction solution that helps keep conversational and other types of noise in check. It looks like a traffic signal and follows the same cues. Its audio and visual alerts are delivered at the decibel level of your choosing.
Questions about the Deluxe Yacker Tracker or any of our patient satisfaction solutions? Please leave them in the comment box below!