{"id":1066,"date":"2018-07-16T22:25:14","date_gmt":"2018-07-16T22:25:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/collegesuccess2x48x112-5\/?post_type=chapter&p=1066"},"modified":"2018-07-18T23:57:44","modified_gmt":"2018-07-18T23:57:44","slug":"healthcare-professionalism","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/collegesuccess2x48x112-5\/chapter\/healthcare-professionalism\/","title":{"raw":"Healthcare Professionalism","rendered":"Healthcare Professionalism"},"content":{"raw":"Healthcare Professionalism: How Important is Proper Bedside Manner?<\/strong>\r\n\r\nProfessional etiquette is one of the most important factors contributing to a successful healthcare career.\r\n\r\nHealthcare involves many personal interactions with a variety of people. Etiquette in healthcare is more than just good manners; it is about establishing respectable relationships with patients, colleagues, and supervisors.\r\n\r\nIn a medical setting, healthcare professionals must set the tone for the interaction with patients and visitors. They are constantly in contact with people who will assess them based on the way they communicate, body language, and appearance.\r\n\r\n\u201cHealthcare professionals have a tremendous obligation,\u201d says Dr. Robert J. Wolff, PhD, program director of Health Science<\/a> at South University, Columbia<\/a>. \u201cThe most important thing is that healthcare professionals have higher standards than most professions because they are dealing with the dignity of patients and their ability to be healed.\u201d\r\n\r\nBeing kind and empathetic goes a long way in gaining a patient\u2019s confidence. A visit to the doctor can be stressful enough without having to deal with unfriendly, inattentive, and disorganized medical staff.\r\n\r\nPatient satisfaction can also be improved if patients are encouraged to express their ideas, concerns, and expectations.\r\n\r\n\u201cI think when the healthcare professional comes into the room, their goals should be multifaceted,\u201d says Dr. Lila Stageberg, MD, assistant professor of Health Sciences at South University<\/a> Online Programs. \u201cPart of that agenda is to discover what the patient\u2019s needs are. But, sometimes the most important thing is to just be present.\u201d\r\n\r\nPatient-Centered Care<\/strong>\r\n\r\nPatient expectations of healthcare experience vary widely, but for the most part people are seeking care that is patient-centered and meets their needs.\r\n\r\n\u201cDealing with patients is a much more intimate experience,\u201d Wolff says. \u201cWe are dealing with the aspects of healing, patient care, mental and social health.\u201d\r\n\r\nService performance in healthcare is heavily scrutinized. It is critical for medical practices to focus on providing positive experiences for patients and caregivers that begins as soon as they enter the door. Everyone from the receptionist to the physician must do their part to convey a sense of courtesy, caring, and helpfulness.\r\n\r\nPatients want to feel comfortable with the people with whom they are entrusting their well-being. Some communication techniques have proven to make people feel better and help them heal faster.\r\n\r\n\u201cHealthcare staff should be friendly and open. A patient should be acknowledged immediately,\u201d Wolff says. \u201cSmiling and appropriate touch also lets patients know they matter.\u201d\r\n\r\nA healthcare provider\u2019s bedside manner encompasses their medical knowledge, personality, and ability to understand the patient and communicate their concern for them.\r\n\r\nThe most important thing is that healthcare professionals have higher standards than most professions because they are dealing with the dignity of patients and their ability to be healed.\r\n\r\nHealthcare professionalism has become an area of focus on its own. San Diego, California-based medical marketing firm Sullivan Luallin Group<\/a> created the C.L.E.A.R. protocol to provide healthcare professionals with guidance on the proper ways to deliver healthcare services. C.L.E.A.R., which stands for connect, listen, explain, ask, and re-connect, encapsulates the important elements of service delivery and performance standards.\r\n\r\nAccording to the Sullivan Luallin Group, service performance is as important as clinical performance; just as there are clinical guidelines, service protocols are necessary too.\r\n\r\n\u201cYou have to define for physicians and staff members what job expectations are,\u201d says Kevin Sullivan, owner and cofounder of Sullivan Luallin Group. \u201cThe behaviors we outline in C.L.E.A.R. are very simple, but people do not follow them because they are bogged down by the routine and repetition of their jobs. They do not know who will walk up next or what will hit their desks.\u201d\r\n\r\nInteractive Health<\/strong>\r\n\r\nThe use of technology in the exam room<\/a> has added another element to patient interaction.\r\n\r\nIn medical practice, healthcare professionals are using mobile phones and tablet computers to look up drug and treatment reference material, help choose treatment plans for patients, and help make diagnoses.\r\n\r\nWhile these devices can be helpful for doctors and patients, they can become distractions that could potentially damage patient interaction. Although mobile technology and computers have become the norm in many medical facilities, healthcare professionals must keep their focus on the patient.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe basic thing is the tablet or device should be used strictly for recording or seeking data,\u201d Wolff says. \u201cAlways address the patient directly. Enter data and look back at them. The patient should be number one in that room.\u201d\r\n\r\nPatients using technology has also become an issue. Stageberg has noticed more patients using their mobile devices while they are hospitalized and looking for information on their own.\r\n\r\n\u201cWhat happens though is that people are not assertively asking their healthcare providers questions because they are trying to answer them on their own,\u201d she says. \u201cBut, our purpose as healthcare providers is to be gatekeepers of the knowledge. We want to make sure the patient has all their questions answered, and they may not know what their questions are or should be.\u201d\r\n\r\nHealthcare will continue to face advancements and changes, but professionalism and a focus on patient satisfaction will continue to be at the heart of what it means to be in a healing profession.\r\n\r\nC.L.E.A.R. Healthcare Service Model<\/strong>\r\n\r\nSullivan Luallin Group outlines how healthcare professionals can appropriately deliver services. Here are some of the techniques in their C.L.E.A.R. service model:\r\n\r\nConnect\r\n