If you want your patient to follow your medical advice, you need her to feel respected by you. There are easy-to implement things we can do reach that goal.

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1. Start with a smile.
   Create a positive atmosphere. That doesn’t always work but surely has never harmed anyone.
2. Introduce yourself.Mumbling your name at the beginning won’t do it. Even if you speak loud and clearly the patient probably won’t remember it. That is why you also have to wear a name tag, so the patient doesn’t have to ask you again.
3. Listen, when the patient talks.That sounds easy, but trust me, it’s not. There are many things wandering through my mind: what I have to do, who has to be called. The patient notices that. You should look in his eyes, take notes and really listen.
4. Do not sit in the patient’s bed.We have a long shift, we are up on our legs all day. So to relax, we can sit down in the patient’s bed while listening, right? No!!! First of all: It’s unhygienic, but that’s not the point. For a certain time the patient has lost his home and his privacy.
   Here in the hospital every ten minutes somebody enters without knocking to measure something. All he has left of personal property IS THIS BED!
   Respect this and don’t just sit down there. Take a chair. BTW: It doesn’t make it any better, if you ask prior to that, because many patients can’t say no to a doctor.
5. Kick out visitors (politely) before you start examining a patient. There shouldn’t be anybody else is in the room besides: medical personell and bed neighbors. Don’t ask the patient if they can stay, because that would make him the bad guy. Some visitors can’t understand why they are kicked out. In that case you should be the bad guy, not the patient.
6. Get the patient’s permission to lift up the blanket, shirt, night gown etc. before the examination. Whenever I do that most patients are surprised to be asked, because they are used to doctors just doing that without asking.
7. Use draping techniques. While you examine the patient only uncover body parts that are examined right now. Most hospitals provide night gowns, which can be untied or unbottoned easily.
8. Explain the long wait: If the patient had to wait for a long time provide an explanation for that. Tell her that now your whole focus and concentration is on them.
9. Explain the next steps: Before leaving the patients room you should explain what you found out and what is going to happen next. Ask whether she has any questions.
10. Leave the room as you found it. Remove all garbage, bring the bed back to the position you found it in, and make sure the patient can reach her personal belongings.

Question: What gives you the feeling to not be respected by a doctor? Leave a comment below!