Can you hear me now?

My patient's mobile phone rang in the middle of his medical visit yesterday. I was fully expecting him to react as I would in such a situation: apologize and turn his phone off. Instead, he jumped up off the examination table, flipped open his phone and proceeded to talk to his wife for several minutes while I waited to resume the exam. This is a patient I have a good rapport with and have known for a long time. I asked him to please turn his phone off during our appointments from now on. However, I can't help but think: isn't that just common sense? I know patients talk on their cell phones in the waiting room, but am I crazy to think that cell phones have no place during a medical exam? I am tempted to post a sign in my office room saying "All cells phones and guns must be checked in at the door".

Few days back, I had a family come in all texting on their own phones during the visit. The girl continued texting during the exam, even on her back during the abdominal exam. The mother finally told her this was rude. I really think they were texting each other.
Has anyone had any similar experiences? If so, what has helped you to curb this rude behavior among your patients?

Comments

Low cost Bariatric Surgery in India for obese people with amazing cost saving for International Patients

Obesity now days being worlds most affecting health disorder and giving rise to a lot of various health hazards is the biggest threat to population through out the world. Our Low cost Bariatric surgery is the best proven method that results in a durable weight loss. Diets and other medical plans for weight loss have been shown to have very poor long term results and all with inability to maintain the weight loss. Long term weight loss without Bariatric surgery is only achieved by 5-10% of obese women, man and children. The people getting the Bariatric surgery throughout the world is the highest in western country itself it is estimated that around every year more than 200,000 bariatric surgeries are being performed in US itself still a lot of people needing the surgery are unable to the get the surgery because of various factors such as the high end cost of the surgery, the surgery not being covered by the insurance or sometimes not getting the appointments. These have been...

The Modern Medical Entrepreneur Academy: Video Topics

These will be the topics covered by the academy The Digital Doctor's Toolkit: Exploring the latest digital tools and platforms for modern physicians. Telemedicine 101: Setting up and optimizing your virtual clinic. Medical Startups to Watch: Highlighting innovative startups in the medical field. From Clinic to App: How to digitize your medical practice. HIPAA and Digital Health: Ensuring patient data privacy in the digital age. The Rise of AI in Medicine: How artificial intelligence is revolutionizing diagnostics and treatment. Medical Marketing in the Digital Age: Effective strategies for promoting your practice online. The Future of Wearable Health Tech: A look at the latest wearable devices for health monitoring. Blockchain in Healthcare: How decentralized technology can transform patient data management. The Business of Medicine: Tips for managing and growing your medical practice. Diversifying Medical Income: Exploring alternative revenue streams for doctors. Medical Podcastin...

Ideal medical tourism destination

Goa with it combination of super specialty hospitals and luxurious hotels, has been touted as an ideal medical tourism destination where ailing foreigners can combine a relaxing holiday with cheap but effective medical treatment. But the state is seeing a new trend: hitching onto the medico-leisure bandwagon are dentists who are offering their services at a fraction of the price their foreign clients would expect to pay at home. Dr. Ambert Pimenta, for example catches the attention of prospective clients with a simple promise: get your dental treatment in Goa and holiday for free. His website ( www.goadentist.com ) says, "Yes as I promised, here is how you can make your holiday to Goa absolutely FREE ! Consider how much you pay in Europe or America ...are the long lines and frustrating long waits at an NHS dentist wearing you down ? Compare our pricing with that of any NHS service or private practice for that matter, we will leave the competition behind. The subsequent arithmetic...

The Modern Medical Entrepreneur Academy

Search This Blog