Posted on 12/03/2018 8:50:50 PM PST by Olog-hai
Nurses and doctors in Irish hospitals have been urged not to call patients “love” or “dear”, the HSE has said.
Other pet names, such as “girls”, “lads”, or “boys”, should also not be used by medical staff on wards, under new recommendations from the health executive to ensure staff in hospitals speak in a way that is “person-centered”.
Healthcare workers in hospitals have been further instructed to avoid referring to patients by their bed number, diagnosis or affected body area.
“Do we talk about ‘feeding people’ instead of assisting with meals, or refer to someone coming back from theater as ‘the hip’/‘the hernia’/‘knee’ etc?” the HSE advice states. “This is a powerful exercise to help raise awareness of how depersonalising some commonly used language can be.”
The recommendations, issued in a report responding to a national patient experience survey, prompted some to lament the passing of “how are you feeling, love?” and other informal expressions.
Michael O’Keefe, a consultant ophthalmologist at the Mater hospital in Dublin, said the recommendations were political correctness “gone mad” at a time of an acute hospital bed shortage and soaring waiting lists for operations. …
(Excerpt) Read more at irishtimes.com ...
I guess calling the Irish donkeytards is a no no too.
I don’t mind being called “honey” etc... What I don’t like is seeing nurses only use those names for very elderly frail patients. In other words, they are needy and unable to help themselves, like babies, and the nurses start using baby talk with them. It seems disrespectful to me.
I'm old enough for Medicare. I lit into a 20-something bespectacled kid in a UPS store who really got off on the wrong foot with me by saying "What can I do for you, young man?"
I said to him "Something wrong with your glasses?"
He sputtered, "What? Uh, no...I..."
"Do I look like a young man to you?"
"No" He said meekly.
"That is about the most condescending thing you can say to someone my age! You want to be nice, say 'What can I do for you, Sir' or just 'What can I do for you'." There were a few other Senior Citizens in line, and they all nodded at what I was saying, so I wasn't alone. The kid was polite enough to apologize, and we went from there. I got my things and left.
I have an occasional emt partner who invariably greets senior female patients with over-the-top smarminess. “Sweetie”, “Dear” etc. I see how annoying it can be for some patients.
Not that we need rules to prevent such approaches. Just common sense. We’re all adults. Use their names.
My MIL told me that until a prominent community member came out of a coma and reported what she had heard while in that state, the nurses and docs referred to their comatose patients by vegetable names: carrot, potato, etc. People were appalled and that practice stopped.
All but one of my hospital experiences have been happy times in the OB. The one time it wasn’t the nurses were all so kind and showed compassion, one even giving me a hug when I choked up. The use of “dear, honey” and so on can give a bit of comfort in sad times. It’s silly to forbid warmth and kindness to the patient while forbidding clinical terms (the hip, the knee) away from the patient.
Why and when did we all get so touchy? I would think being called “love,” or “dear” would soothe the soul.
Good for you! I hope that the kid learned something.
I do still occasionally get called “young lady” by someone old enough to be my parent (usually a man); I give them a pass. Maybe I do look young to them!
I completely disagree with you.
It has nothing whatsoever to do with “political correctness.” It has a great deal to do with respect and professionalism.
You can convey warmth, caring, concern, and general warm fuzzies without using pet names. Tone of voice, a gentle touch, and an actual concern for the patient convey a lot. When I call someone by his or her name, I am acknowledging that person as an individual, not just another body.
How about “dawg” or the b word or that thing in room 234?
The eggplant in 420.
My wife is an RN who was trained the same way. We are amazed by the use of “Dear” and “Honey” by RNs at our local hospital.
You too uh? I'd say this whole thing is seriously overblown. The other side of this would be being pulled off the unit for sensitivity training or worse. Next stop is no ability to chart male or female nor addressing chromosomal differences...oops already here.
You can do a google translate.
A little trivia...do you know the origin of the F word?
I wonder when Baltimogidishu, where I grew up in the 50s & 60s, will tell waitresses to stop calling customers HON.
My doctor always called me dear. All his patients loved him including me. I refinanced every property he owned and never charged him a dime. Being called dear is comforting when you are deathly ill.
Perhaps, but do we need government to get involved with the issue?
I understand and concur.
Just when you need kindness the most.......
fornication under consent of the king is what I’ve heard
I agree with your post. Those appellations are patronizing and a diminishment.
I also very much dislike being called by my first name by persons young enough to be my grandchildren, whether they are sales staff, congregants or medical personnel, who should call me "Mrs. Wilde" or "Ms. Wilde." That goes double for the friends of my offspring, who should either call me "Mrs. Wilde" or "Mom Wilde."
I'm also a firm believer in children, no matter how old, calling their older relatives by their proper relational titles, such as "Aunt", "Uncle", "Cousin," etc., including the older relatives of their in-laws or cousins.
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