The Important Interactions in a Hospital that Help Patient Outcomes

A hospital is a complex structure supported by an intricate web of connections. The interactions and relationships between staff members and patient are essential to the practice of healthcare and the diagnosis and treatment of disease. A hospital’s staff includes doctors, nurses, interns, residents, aides, receptionists, janitors, and more—many people are needed to run a hospital smoothly. The doctor-patient relationship remains an integral part of care—without a connection of trust and comfort, the most basic tasks such as gathering information, diagnosing, and guiding patients to recovery can become difficult which in turn adversely affects the wellbeing of the patient and the reputation of the hospital. A satisfied patient with a healthy relationship to his or her doctor will remain with that hospital and consequently improve that hospital’s reputation.

Interactions between patient and staff involve gathering information from checkups, maintaining a relationship, and guiding the patient in the road to recovery. These three functions are inexplicably intertwined. For example, a patient who is uncomfortable with his or her physician may not disclose information efficiently which raises difficulties when establishing the most effective way to treat a disease. Effective care between a physician and staff ensures that a patient will feel secure and respected, and thus willing to disclose feelings and personal information that can be utilized in treatment. Organization of these staff members and their accessibility and courtesy level provide structure in the complex environment common to hospitals. Doctors, nurses, residents, aides, receptionists, and other staff members interact with each other daily in order to support the hosp...

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... establishing follow up appointments, and calling the lab and finding out how long the results will take—examples of helping while demonstrating the skills of a future physician. Growing from mistakes and failure is essential because a medical student will often be wrong. It is important to learn and anticipate what will happen in the next encounter. Above all, a medical student should be respectful and non-judgmental of the patients he or she will daily interact with, as the patient is the reason why the hospital exists. Many patients who are in the hospital are there because they have made poor life decisions, but it is not in the place of anyone to judge them—the 600 lb man, the veteran who is smoking and drinking himself to death, or the drug addict—because in they are in the hospital to be respected and dealt with professionally because they are fellow humans.