What To Say Instead Of…

By Susan Osborne, RN, MSN, MBA, CPXP
Director of Patient Experience
Hamilton Health Care System

Have you ever been in a situation where a staff member or physician made a comment that didn’t sit well with the patient and family members?

Communicating with patients and families is part of our role daily in healthcare. Here are some examples of what to say to patients to decrease their anxiety and feel safer in your care. Key phrases matter. They connect the dots of why we do what we do and help to keep patients informed. These words will also help demonstrate a caring workforce and respect to our patients.

What Not to Say What to Say
I see you are back in our ED again. What do you want now? I remember caring for you before in our ED. What is worrying you the most today?
I am your ED RN. Here is a gown. Change into it. Good morning. I am Kenna, Your ED RN. I am sorry you are not feeling well today. I will need you to change into a gown. I will close your curtain / door for your privacy, and I will be back in about 5 minutes with a warm blanket to keep you comfortable.
I need to scan you ID band. What is your name and date of birth? To keep you safe, I will ask your name and date of birth and scan your ID band before I give you any medications.
No problem. My pleasure.
The doctor is running 45 minutes behind. I am sorry for the delay in care. We had an emergency. Dr. Smith is with a patient. Can you stay and wait, or would you like to reschedule your appointment?
What is your name? Have a seat. Welcome to our practice. My name is Susan. I will be checking you in. Can you tell me your name? Can I have a copy of your ID and insurance card?
What do you need?  What do you want? I am responding to you call light, how can I help you?
You are not allowed to have that many people in the room at one time. At this time, we are only permitting two  visitors to a room at a time due to the size of the room. You can rotate in and out as needed.
What room are you going to today? Good morning. Welcome to Hamilton Medical Center. How may I help you today?
Any questions? We reviewed a lot of information today. What questions do you have for me?
You will not talk to me like that. Stop cursing. I understand you are upset. What can I do to make this situation better for you?
That’s not my job. That’s not part of our organization values. We all have ownership to respond to guests needs. 
You have cancer. The tests came back positive for breast cancer.  I am sorry. I know that isn’t what you wanted to hear. As your physician, I will be with you every step of the way during your treatment. We will do this together.
You don’t have any insurance, so getting you a walker is not going to happen. I understand you do not have a payor source. I am going to work hard to secure a walker for you so you can continue your therapy at home and get better.
You came to see us. We didn’t bring you here. What are your expectations of this visit?
You are not my only patient. I am sorry it took me awhile to respond to your call light. How can I help you now?
You are just going to have to wait. Our current wait time is approximately two hours. We will update wait times every hour and reassess as needed.
No, we don’t do that here. Are there other places you have explored that I can help you with?

 

The words we use have lasting memories on our patients. Please choose to use words that will help to comfort our patients, explain the why and decrease patient anxiety.  We are caregivers; we want to help our patients.  It starts with better communication.

About the Author
Susan E. Osborne is the Director of Patient Experience at Hamilton Health Care System. She has been a nurse executive for 35 years and a patient experience coach for 22 years.