Sunday, 12 August 2007
Late patients
In an outpatient setting how late is too late? On my prac i have had numerous late pts which has meant i am working over time. I am constantly working till 5 pm where i should only be working till 4:30. I find it tough to turn pts away so i attempt to modify my session to at least give them some sort of intervention but with a prescribed outline of the session already in place its tough to cut it down to fit in to a shorter session. On top of that there is the paper work. I mentioned to one pt that for the next appoinment can they get here on time which they responded positively to so will now just have to wait and see. Does anyone have any other ideas on how to approach a late pt?
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2 comments:
Hey Dickie,
this is a very salient point you make! Perhaps you could tell your patient their appt is 15 mins earlier than it actually is. If they rock up late then they will still be on time and then if they rock up early then they can just wait!! I also think you should definately cut down your treatment if they are late. Pick only one technique and check they are doing their ex's properly and then send them on their way. If this happens explain to them that the lack of time means that you can't do everything you would normally do and could they please make an effor to be on time next time.
Hi Dickie and Lil,
I definitely wouldn't tell your patient their appointment was 15 minutes earlier than it actually was for a couple of reasons. Most importantly, that would be treating the patient disrespectfully and it's therefore unprofessional. You could do that with a friend (it's great for serially late friends!...like myself!), sure, but not with a client/patient. There are implications involved there such as - suppose the patient calls to check their appointment time (maybe they lost their card) and are told the "real" time over the phone. Messy. Confusing. Unprofessional. That could all have treatment implications - they may not trust a thing you say.
A better way of handling it may be to do as you did with one of your patients/clients Dickie, and discuss the implications of being late - such as decreased treatment time, waiting longer to be seen, or a complete reschedule. Ask whether there is a time during the day that is 'conducive' to getting them there on time. And ask them to call to let you know if they are running late.
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