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VENT-Doctors Receptionists

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  • Valli
    Valli Posts: 25,471 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    edited 21 June 2013 at 7:48PM
    Thing is, if medical staff do have access to medical records of patients they should not be discussing the contents with anyone else, or for that matter, discussing the reasons patients visit, whether (in their opinion), those visits are for trivial matters or not. I'm not disputing that they do see those records, but; as medical receptionists they too should be bound by confidentiality agreements.

    That's what's concerning me. When I go to my GPs I invariably see someone I know. But I don't sit in the waiting room discussing my ailments or theirs.

    In my professional role there are issues I am not at liberty to discuss. Medical receptionists should not be gossiping about patients. It's nothing to do with naivety or otherwise.

    But I stand by my statement that medical receptionists have no need to read patient's notes.
    Don't put it DOWN; put it AWAY
    "I would like more sisters, that the taking out of one, might not leave such stillness" Emily Dickinson
    :heart:Janice 1964-2016:heart:

    Thank you Honey Bear
  • fluffnutter
    fluffnutter Posts: 23,179 Forumite
    poet123 wrote: »
    Because the doctors often tell the Receptionists to ask "certain" patients what the problem is before they are supposed to give them an appointment. The ones who are in the surgery 3 times a week I would guess. Effectively they are a filter system.

    Additionally, you are really naive if you think practice staff do not have access to patient records. I was a Medical Secretary and patient notes are confidential but not to just the doctor.

    Valli wasn't saying that the receptionist doesn't have access to records, merely that their trawling through them to decide who did and who didn't have a legitimate reason for making an appointment so they can then tell their friends that half are time-wasters isn't a good reason for accessing them.
    "Growth for growth's sake is the ideology of the cancer cell" - Edward Abbey.
  • poet123
    poet123 Posts: 24,099 Forumite
    Valli wrote: »
    Thing is, if medical staff do have access to medical records of patients they should not be discussing the contents with anyone else, or for that matter, discussing the reasons patients visit, whether (in their opinion), those visits are for trivial matters or not. I'm not disputing that they do see those records, but; as medical receptionists they too should be bound by confidentiality agreements.

    That's what's concerning me. When I go to my GPs I invariably see someone I know. But I don't sit in the waiting room discussing my ailments or theirs.

    And of course they are bound by them.

    I am not sure what you are implying here, my friend made a general remark, not a remark specific to any one patient or group of patients. I have never heard her say anything which breaches confidentiality. Like everyone she discusses work in general terms but not in specifics. Like it or not they are often put on the front line by doctors who are sick of Mr or Mrs x presenting twice a week at the surgery for no concrete reason and they are expected to dig to see if an appointment is really needed.
  • poet123
    poet123 Posts: 24,099 Forumite
    Valli wasn't saying that the receptionist doesn't have access to records, merely that their trawling through them to decide who did and who didn't have a legitimate reason for making an appointment so they can then tell their friends that half are time-wasters isn't a good reason for accessing them.

    I agree, and that is not what is done in my experience.
  • marywooyeah
    marywooyeah Posts: 2,670 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    sharnad wrote: »
    Stupid Ipod. Worst thing is I can't remember what the word was suppsed to be.

    Skint by any chance?
  • Valli
    Valli Posts: 25,471 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    edited 21 June 2013 at 8:08PM
    poet123 wrote: »
    And of course they are bound by them.

    I am not sure what you are implying here, my friend made a general remark, not a remark specific to any one patient or group of patients. I have never heard her say anything which breaches confidentiality. Like everyone she discusses work in general terms but not in specifics. Like it or not they are often put on the front line by doctors who are sick of Mr or Mrs x presenting twice a week at the surgery for no concrete reason and they are expected to dig to see if an appointment is really needed.

    Fair enough - I accept that it does depend on the circumstances as to how a comment may be made but I would be concerned if your friend had arrived at this conclusion from accessing records rather than, say, a practice meeting where, for example, strategies to cut down on unnecessary visits with reference to statistical evidence were discussed.
    Don't put it DOWN; put it AWAY
    "I would like more sisters, that the taking out of one, might not leave such stillness" Emily Dickinson
    :heart:Janice 1964-2016:heart:

    Thank you Honey Bear
  • poet123
    poet123 Posts: 24,099 Forumite
    Valli wrote: »
    Fair enough - I accept that it does depend on the circumstances as to how a comment may be made but I would be concerned if your friend had arrived at this conclusion from accessing records rather than, say, a practice meeting where, for example, strategies to cut down on unnecessary visits with reference to statistical evidence were discussed.

    When answering the phone to a patient requesting an appointment I doubt there would be time to do that. In any event it comes direct from the doctors and often my friend feels very uncomfortable about asking but if she doesn't the doctors take them to task about it. She was a patient at the practice before she worked there and she said working there had shown her a different side to several of the doctors.

    Ultimately, of course, anyone who is persistent enough will get an appointment and then the doctors get annoyed with the receptionist for not putting them off effectively enough.
  • Arachne_2
    Arachne_2 Posts: 411 Forumite
    This thread reminds me of the old joke, about getting past the receptionist first if you want to see a doctor ;)

    Our receptionists are great, so I'm pretty lucky in that respect. Mind you, my own anxiety issues mean I don't see the doc if I can possibly avoid it.

    I can usually get an appointment with my regular doc within a week, but we had one doctor (who at one time was the only lady doc) who was always booked solid!
  • sharnad
    sharnad Posts: 9,904 Forumite
    Skint by any chance?

    That would be the one :j
    Needing to lose weight start date 26 December 2011 current loss 60 pound Down. Lots more to go to get into my size 6 jeans
  • Errata
    Errata Posts: 38,230 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Just a little vent really i suffer from health anxiety and proberbly goto the doctors about twice a month maybe three times on a bad month. Anyways i called my Doctors surgery up to get an appointment today and after waiting on hold for 10 mins or so i get through to a receptionist where i give my name and the response i get is a "Sigh" with "Oh God" almost to say here we go again another appointment, This really annoys me as she does not know me or my situation. This time i really needed to see a Doc as i have had severe stomach pain for 2 weeks and had been holding back going but now i have cancelled my appointment as i don't want to go to a surgery that is being like that. Sorry just a vent really at the rudeness of Doctors surgery.
    I can think of at least half a dozen reasons for "Sigh" with "Oh God" , none of which would have anything to do with your request for an appointment. But, if you want to assume the worst and put your own spin on what you think was going on, I doubt anyone will convince you you're wrong.
    .................:)....I'm smiling because I have no idea what's going on ...:)
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