Waiting Time And Communication Challenges In The Waiting Room

The film, The Waiting Room, paints a clear picture of the variety of obstacles that commonly occur in the emergency department. The majority of patients are uninsured, are using the hospital as their primary care physician, long wait times and communication challenges. This paper will outline challenges displayed in the documentary paired with different ideas working to create a more effective health care experience. Multiple patients in the film were returning patients – they had been seen within the week. This emphasizes the importance of having a primary care physician. Visiting the emergency department is necessary sometimes, but in situations where getting a prescription refilled, a referral to another physician, a follow-up appointment or a consultation about a non-life threatening issue visiting the emergency department is not the preferred choice. If patients decreased the number of visits to the emergency department for these types of situations; there would be countless benefits. The benefits for the patient would be less wait time, they would be in a better to

According to Du Pre (2013), effective health communication saves time and money, helps healthcare organizations run effectively and is an important source of personal confidence and coping ability. She approaches communication with each patient and their family through a process of understanding and sharing meaning (Du Pre, 2013, p. 8). She pays close attention to the people she is communicating with by listening and watching their actions and emotions; she encourages a sense of team – that they are not alone; she displays sensitivity while being pleasantly comical. The intake nurse is one of the first medical professionals the patient encounters while visiting the emergency department. She ultimately sets the tone and standard for health communication, and I feel that she does an excellent