Julie Salamon observed life in a major urban hospital for a year. She discusses some of what she saw in a Los Angeles Times editorial. What stood out the most for her was how important, and how difficult to practice, common courtesy was to the overall flow of the hospital:
The way hospital workers treat one another sets the tone for how they treat patients and their families, who are often frightened and fragile. The simplest form of human communication -- a harsh or caring tone, abrupt or attentive behavior -- can be healing or destructive.
...
The craving for respect is a palpable part of hospital life. Nurses and technicians feel underappreciated and underpaid. "I have nursing attendants who make $28,000 a year working elbow to elbow with these attending doctors who come into work in Jaguars," a senior nurse told me. "I think what beats them down is the hierarchy, the respect they're given or not given. Everyone beats down on the one below."
And patients can feel the reverberations of these wounded feelings.
Usually, when we talk about compassion in health care, we're focused on how health care providers are treating patients. But the way we treat each other is just as important, and indeed has a ripple effect on the patient experience.
Comments