Absolute Transparency
Health care professionals the world over are expected to be dedicated towards the profession and sincere in effort. Most of the cases they handle could culminate in life-death situations, and hence, as a health care professional you are expected to practice absolute transparency. When it comes to dealing with patients, the payback comes mostly in the form of appreciation or distress. Now, definitely, the latter is not exactly what anyone would want. Patients look for an excuse to disencumber and are mortified most of the time, looking for an escape from all that is additionally distressful and painful.
Being transparent as far as the diagnosis, treatment and outcome are concerned helps a lot. It helps the patient, his family and even friends and neighbors. Even as you practice transparency as a health care professional, the need is to remain sensitive and not broadcast whatever needs to be said in wrong light. Instead of arguing, if you have had a trying time, you could even write it down and pass it on. Clearly it is easy to see that your idea of transparency and that of the patient or relatives may differ dramatically. But this is a chance you have to take, especially in highly sensitive cases.
There are many little things in the peripheral that either add to or reduce tension during such times. Some of them are the temperature, magazines, pharmaceutical posters of abnormalities etc. The importance of transparency in the life of a health care professional helps in the case of skin disorders, internal organ abnormalities and illnesses that can't be cured, only prevented. The problems associated with many diseases and ailments are not entirely physical. They spring from a disturbed mental frame and often result in more distress.
Most patients and visitors to a health care professional center become totally convinced that they are dealing with more than what shows up. In such cases, you have to spell it out as it is and throw light on their ignorance in a subtle, light hearted manner. While doing so, you also have to be very sensitive towards drugs prescribed and future prescriptions. It is very important to help a patient feel better within minutes and convince him or her that the illness is well taken care of. Patients take back home experiences in health care settings. They identify strongly with controllable factors that enable them to be less stressed all through the treatment.
Health care professionals should remain sensitive towards the general and specific needs within any treatment pattern; at least this is what most patients expect. For the most part, they are in great distress, and half the pain and anguish, mental or physical is relieved at the sight of a caring and honest health care professional. You would never know the outcome of any particular visit. It pays a lot to enquire about preference of address and come clean as far as the treatment and problem at hand is concerned, no matter how difficult.