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As a healthcare professional, it’s important to put your patients at ease whenever you treat them. After all, a more relaxed patient is in the best position to participate in their care and healing. Just as your words have the power to calm a patient down, they also have equal power to send a patient’s stress and anxiety levels through the roof. To avoid being the cause of such emotional distress, here are the top five things Nursing Link advises you should never say to them.
“This Won’t Hurt at All”
Honesty goes a long way in building a good rapport with your patient. One of the worst things you can tell someone is that a procedure won’t cause them pain or discomfort when it will. Instead, Nursing Link suggests a more sincere comment like, “This will hurt a little, but don’t worry, I’ll try to do it as quickly as possible.”
“We’re Very Busy. Please Wait.”
Patients aren’t concerned with the behind-the-scenes activity at your healthcare facility – especially when they aren’t feeling well, or they made an appointment to be seen at a certain time. Instead of telling them how busy you are, give them the most accurate gauge possible of when someone will be able to treat them.
“Would you look at that?!”
The last thing your patient wants to hear is your shock about their condition. Even if you have never seen their particular injury before, or have never heard of their condition, don’t let them know that. According to Nursing Link, patients want to believe that you have “been around the block and back” so stay calm and reassuring.
“It Could Be Worse”
Your patient is at your healthcare facility because they want to get better. They don’t want to hear that things could be worse. Instead, keep the discussion centered around their diagnosis and the healing process.
“I Doubt It’s Anything Serious”
Unless you know for sure, it’s best not to try to reduce your patient’s anxiety by telling them it’s probably nothing serious. Unfortunately, conditions sometimes get unexpectedly worse, wounds get infected, and benign masses turn malignant. Nursing Link says, “Instead of trying to comfort a patient by brushing off their fears, be honest about their diagnosis and the amazing level of care they will receive in your facility.”
By keeping these five no-no phrases in mind when you’re talking with patients, you can help ensure that you don’t contribute to their emotional distress. To learn about three additional things you should never say to your patients, check out Nursing Link’s full article here.