Private Practice Setting                                                             Hospital Setting

Today I had a conversation with a female patient and her husband.  They were very positive about the care they received during the hospitalization.  The husband volunteered their only frustration was the new system implemented several years ago where many Primary Care Physicians focus on their office practice and assign their patients to Hospitalist Physicians when the patient is in the hospital.  They both agreed that they like having someone treating them who has known them and their medical history over a significant portion of time.  It was pointed out to me that they had a hard time meeting a physician they had never seen before and then having the same level of trust in the evaluation of the situation as they would with their established Private Practice Physician.  I understood their reasoning and have heard many patients describe the same feelings.

I did explain to them the new system is a change that many people are slowly adjusting to over time and that I was sure our hospital would appreciate constructive suggestions on how the practice could function with a higher level of trust for the patient in what the Hospitalist Physician is telling them.  The husband volunteered one suggestion immediately.  He said he would like the Hospitalist Physician to consult with the Primary Care Physician prior to suggesting any treatment.  In this instance he asked the Hospitalist if he had spoken with the Primary Care Physician and was told no he had not and they he did not see a reason to consult.  The patient and her husband found this disconcerting.

I told them I would share this information in our feedback system, and they appreciated my offer to do that.  I noticed what happened during our conversation, since I had listened to their suggestion and affirmed their emotions a level of trust was established between us.  The visit went on for 20 more minutes and covered a wide range of topics.  When I was leaving the room following the prayer, the patient said to me, “Thank you for listening and seeing my concern from my point of view”.  As I entered the hallway I was struck with a sense of illumination, the patient thanked me for listening.  Listening is an essential element of my ministry and I never expected to be thanked for that component of the visit.  I learned again the lesson I learned in college.  People feel you respect them when you listen intently and then respond to their statement in a manner that affirms their feelings even if you can’t change what is happening.  What a great reminder to have from a patient encounter that was a joy for me and also meaningful to the patient and her husband!