Re: John Launer: Why we should all #sayhellotopatients
Dear Editor,
Dr Launer makes a good point re. the benefit of acknowledging patients with a simple "hello". There is no doubt that an unexpected greeting can make the recipient smile and feel recognised and that human interaction also gives the person saying hello a boost too. This is becoming increasingly relevant in today's modern world where people can walk about immersed in their phones in the pseudo-world of social media. There is also an increasing feeling of insular behaviour and wariness of strangers; in public places like buses, trains and tubes it is not uncommon for people to avoid eye contact or conversation. There can be a parallel between our overall level of happiness and our attitude towards strangers; I suggest that it is unusual to find a person who walks around with their head down, frowning and looking away from people who is secretly a joyful person. However, some people are introverted in nature and others are on the autistic spectrum disorder - both are represented in health care professionals - and such individuals would struggle to be so interactive. I do not believe in a "one size fits all" approach or pretending to be friendly. There would also be the danger of affected pseudo-niceties as in the "Have a good day" that American fast-food servers often say to every customer. Also, with busy waiting areas, saying "hello" to every patient in a rapid way would resemble a scene from Monty Python and not feel genuine. Rather I suggest a better approach is to consciously smile and make eye contact with patients and when it feels right, say "hello" or nod your head or make a friendly comment to break the ice. This could result in some nice feel-good changes in yourself. At the end of the day, people / strangers / patients / other staff members are just like us - most have families, troubles, fears, likes and dislikes. Patients and their relatives attending hospital may have worries and feel vulnerable. They may be grateful if we are the first one to reach out albeit with a simple and brief gesture.
Rapid Response:
Re: John Launer: Why we should all #sayhellotopatients
Dear Editor,
Dr Launer makes a good point re. the benefit of acknowledging patients with a simple "hello". There is no doubt that an unexpected greeting can make the recipient smile and feel recognised and that human interaction also gives the person saying hello a boost too. This is becoming increasingly relevant in today's modern world where people can walk about immersed in their phones in the pseudo-world of social media. There is also an increasing feeling of insular behaviour and wariness of strangers; in public places like buses, trains and tubes it is not uncommon for people to avoid eye contact or conversation. There can be a parallel between our overall level of happiness and our attitude towards strangers; I suggest that it is unusual to find a person who walks around with their head down, frowning and looking away from people who is secretly a joyful person. However, some people are introverted in nature and others are on the autistic spectrum disorder - both are represented in health care professionals - and such individuals would struggle to be so interactive. I do not believe in a "one size fits all" approach or pretending to be friendly. There would also be the danger of affected pseudo-niceties as in the "Have a good day" that American fast-food servers often say to every customer. Also, with busy waiting areas, saying "hello" to every patient in a rapid way would resemble a scene from Monty Python and not feel genuine. Rather I suggest a better approach is to consciously smile and make eye contact with patients and when it feels right, say "hello" or nod your head or make a friendly comment to break the ice. This could result in some nice feel-good changes in yourself. At the end of the day, people / strangers / patients / other staff members are just like us - most have families, troubles, fears, likes and dislikes. Patients and their relatives attending hospital may have worries and feel vulnerable. They may be grateful if we are the first one to reach out albeit with a simple and brief gesture.
Competing interests: No competing interests