Open Forum

Our Ambulatory Education Council was having a robust conversation around best practices for "calling patients" back to exam rooms from the waiting rooms area. We want to ensure this is done in a HIPPA compliant manner, and without assuming gender to ensure we are respectful to all people.

In thinking of cultural-competence and patient-centered care, some suggestions were: to use last name only or first name initial and last name. Then, once the patient and healthcare provider connect, the patient would confirm their legal name and date of birth.

What practices do your teams currently use?

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Nytosha Thomas-Bridgeman MSN RN CMSRN
Emory HealthCare
Atlanta GA
(404)668-4350
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Good morning, 

We call by first name.  Then as soon as the patient gets past the waiting room into the clinical hallway, the staff confirms last name and date of birth.

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Katharine Weeks
Director of Clinical Operations
Wentworth Douglass Hospital
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We use the same process, Katharine.  However, if a first name is difficult (mine, for example), the patient may be called by last name only and then first name and date of birth are verified.

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Michaelene Wolff, BSN, RN, OCN, AMB-BC
Coordinator, Clinical Programs
Chair, Ambulatory Telephone Protocol Committee
University of Colorado Hospital
Aurora CO
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Original Message:
Sent: 11-29-2023 08:29
From: Katharine Weeks
Subject: Appropriate Way to Address Patients from Waiting Area

Good morning, 

We call by first name.  Then as soon as the patient gets past the waiting room into the clinical hallway, the staff confirms last name and date of birth.

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Katharine Weeks
Director of Clinical Operations
Wentworth Douglass Hospital
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Thank you for your response!

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Nytosha Thomas-Bridgeman MSN RN CMSRN
Emory HealthCare
Atlanta GA
(404)668-4350
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 11-29-2023 08:29
From: Katharine Weeks
Subject: Appropriate Way to Address Patients from Waiting Area

Good morning, 

We call by first name.  Then as soon as the patient gets past the waiting room into the clinical hallway, the staff confirms last name and date of birth.

------------------------------
Katharine Weeks
Director of Clinical Operations
Wentworth Douglass Hospital
------------------------------

Are there opportunities at the registration area to validate preferred name, pronouns, or gender? 

I've personally used "Last name 'Thomas-Bridgeman'" when calling someone back, and will ask them to validate first name and DOB when we're at the doorway to go to the clinical area. When I'm the patient I'll usually validate with the person calling me back since my last name causes some confusion and I never know if they were calling a first name or last name! 

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Andrea Kelly MSN RN NPD-BC
Director, Population Health
ECU Health Physicians (formerly Vidant Medical Group)
Greenville NC
(252)847-3930
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Hello Team.

What is your process when the front office personnel signs the patient in and when you call the patient leaves. Do you document in the medical record that the patient left without being seen? One is the nurses is refusing to document t because she is saying she never saw the patient. Any suggestions?

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Sheryl Durr
DNP Nurse
VA Palo Alto
Palo Alto CA
(404)935-8475
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Great question! I just discussed this with my staff at our meeting last week. Our SOP is first name & first initial of last name i.e "Lauren C", once they get into the clinical hallway confirmation of full name & DOB. If there is a lot of activity in the hallway, then they wait until the patient is in the exam room for privacy.

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Lauren Crociata BSN RN
Clinical Nurse Manager
Stony Brook Dermatology Associates
Stony Brook NY
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Interesting.

We have a large transgender population and so have used first initial last name and then confirm full name and DOB once beyond the doors of our waiting area. Without a field in our EMR that demonstrates preferred name it’s difficult to use any other method and be patient centric and not offensive to gender queer.

Amy

Sent from my iPhone


Original Message:
Sent: 2/5/2024 12:22:00 PM
From: Lauren Crociata
Subject: RE: Appropriate Way to Address Patients from Waiting Area

Great question! I just discussed this with my staff at our meeting last week. Our SOP is first name & first initial of last name i.e "Lauren C", once they get into the clinical hallway confirmation of full name & DOB. If there is a lot of activity in the hallway, then they wait until the patient is in the exam room for privacy.

------------------------------
Lauren Crociata BSN RN
Clinical Nurse Manager
Stony Brook Dermatology Associates
Stony Brook NY
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Original Message:
Sent: 2/6/2024 11:26:00 AM
From: Amy Cadoret
Subject: RE: Appropriate Way to Address Patients from Waiting Area

Interesting.

We have a large transgender population and so have used first initial last name and then confirm full name and DOB once beyond the doors of our waiting area. Without a field in our EMR that demonstrates preferred name it’s difficult to use any other method and be patient centric and not offensive to gender queer.

Amy

Sent from my iPhone

Original Message:
Sent: 2/7/2024 11:55:00 AM
From: Aleesa Mobley
Subject: RE: Appropriate Way to Address Patients from Waiting Area

This is an excellent conversation on patient advocacy, and it sounds like a grass roots effort that can be used to implore nursing leadership to voice the need for a change implemented in the EHR at the C-Suite level.  Also sounds like the type thing AAACN could take a position on in terms of changing health policy.  I thank you for starting the discussion. 

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Aleesa M Mobley PhD APN  (she/her/hers) Why Pronouns Matter

Assistant Professor - Clerkship Director [Pain Management/Substance Use Disorder]

Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation - Neuro Musculoskeletal Institute 

Lippincott Procedures: Subject Matter Expert - Wolters Kluwer Publishing

Rowan Medicine Bldg., 42 E. Laurel Rd, Ste 1700, Stratford New Jersey 08084 

T: 856-566-7010 | F: 856-566-6956| C: 856-230-1229 

mobley@rowan.edu | som.rowan.edu 

Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence [Abigail Adams (1744 - 1818), 1780].

Original Message:
Sent: 2/6/2024 11:26:00 AM
From: Amy Cadoret
Subject: RE: Appropriate Way to Address Patients from Waiting Area

Interesting.

We have a large transgender population and so have used first initial last name and then confirm full name and DOB once beyond the doors of our waiting area. Without a field in our EMR that demonstrates preferred name it’s difficult to use any other method and be patient centric and not offensive to gender queer.

Amy

Sent from my iPhone