Consultations & Devices
According to the sign on my door all devices need to be switched off or ‘silenced’ during consultation, since I feel interrupted with constant tones and bleeps. Most patients ignore the notice.
Switch off or ‘silence’ your mobile phone/smart device/s prior to entering the consultation room.
It is not only me getting less focused and sidetracked; often patients/clients ask after an app/news bleep – which got their foremost attention due to habit – to repeat my last sentence/s.
Calls, SMS, reminders received, constant ringing tones, tunes and bleeps are interruptions which interfere negatively during a consultation, you (and your healthcare specialist) may get distracted and lose concentration on what can be important for you and your future health
Audio/video recording your consultation in a digital manner (i.e. by mobile/smart phone, voice recorder):
Often I find that patients are recording their consultation, without asking my permission!
Please be aware of the following:
- It is necessary to declare your wish to do so, and to get the consent of your healthcare professional! Buying consultation time does not automatically entitle you to record the session. Likewise, a healthcare professional should not record a consultation without your permission (i.e. for educational purposes)
- Whether you record your consultation may not be only about a law, but also about ethics. Communication between patient and healthcare professional is considered confidential and negatively affected by a digital recording device, which could transmit your ‘case’ permanently all over the internet
- You may end up with cautious advice to safeguard the practitioner
- The practitioner may only talk as much as is absolutely necessary, give lecture rather than individual, well meant advice
- Your healthcare professional may not advise you about long-term plans and possibilities
- Opinions will be given reluctantly/not at all
- Small talk, which can be part of the treatment, will not happen
Additional advice for patients and healthcare professionals communicating via email, text, Social media:
Messages to and fro may be considered part of treatment, but may not be suitable for some questions and complex queries.
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