Improving Bedside Manner While Managing Your Time

Your bedside manner will affect the medical outcome of the patient. Here are some easy tips you can do in your office. The first thing you want to do is to briefly review the chart before you walk in the room. Usually physicians will start looking at the chart once they’ve entered the room and will be so busy reading the chart, that they missed the opportunity for a warm greeting and good eye contact. So while you’re in the hallway, before you open the door, do two things. Review the chart quickly and check in with yourself. You want to check in with yourself that you’re ready to go in and be present with this particular patient. Even if your mind has been thinking about other patients in the office or the hospital, or if you’re thinking about your kid’s soccer game, stop and redirect your focus. Then when you walk in the room, the patient will feel like you are there for them and that you are paying attention. As you walk, greet the patient warmly and use culturally appropriate nonverbal skills. Don’t assume that the patient hasn’t minded waiting for you, they do mind. Apologize if you are late.

Please don’t sit behind a desk. The desk can be cold and distancing. The patient will feel more comfortable if you sit with them in the exam room. If you can, please talk to patients with their clothes on as patients can be very uncomfortable sitting in a small gown or with just a drape covering them up. If you’re using electronic medical records and are just now getting used to doing the patient interview in front of a computer screen, please remember to look up from the screen and to make sure you stay connected to the patient. I know the new technology takes some getting used to, but you can’t afford to have the patient feel like you don’t care. You also want to make sure that you don’t make the patient a third-party patient. This is when you talk to their caregiver and ignore the patient. Even if the patient doesn’t have full capacity, keep them included in the conversation.

Remember that the conversation should be a dialogue, not a monologue. Leave plenty of time for listening, especially at the beginning of the conversation. If you do want to connect with the patient on a personal level, don’t make the mistake that many doctors do. Doctors will begin to tell the patient about their own hobbies or interests. Don’t tell the patient more about you, instead you want to listen more to discover things about them. You also want to look for moments of caring where you can reach out and give the patient and family the needed reassurance. Don’t just focus on the symptoms the patient is reporting. Make sure you ask the important questions about how their lifestyle or culture may be contributing to their illness.

These are just a few tips I teach doctors when we talk about bedside manners and how to improve medical outcomes.

Have a kind and respectful day.