The Mitchell Organization has created a special training program in response to the Joint Commission Recommendations called: Medicine and Manners

The Issue:
Medical etiquette has been increasingly on the minds of physicians and hospital administrators.  In July 2008, The Joint Commission for Accreditation of Hospitals put forth several recommendations in reference to modifying physician behavior.  Among them were to:

  1. Educate all team members – both physicians and non-physician staff – on appropriate professional behavior, defined by the organization’s code of conduct.  The code and education should emphasize respect.  Include training in basic business etiquette (particularly phone skills) and people skills.
  2. Provide skills-based training and coaching for all leaders and managers in relationship-building and collaborative practice, including skills for giving feedback on unprofessional behavior, and conflict resolution.

At The Mitchell Organization, we believe that these recommendations can be fulfilled with training courses and coaching in etiquette-based medicine.  And we are not the only ones.  The New England Journal of Medicine published an article by Michael Kahn, M.D., entitled “Etiquette-Based Medicine.”  In this article Dr. Kahn argues convincingly that simple etiquette rules could be implemented with dramatic effects– much the same way that a simple checklist introduced by Peter Pronovost and associates helped sharply reduce central line infections.1

And that is just the beginning.  Patients and employees who are mistreated are much more likely to seek litigation.  The bottom line is that etiquette training will help hospitals, clinics, and doctors’ offices run more efficiently, be more pleasant, and ultimately cost less money.

Delivery method:
Based on information gathered from your hospital, The Mitchell Organization will develop an entertaining, informative, pragmatic, and interactive program.  Case scenarios will be used to illustrate key concepts.  Ideally, a measurement instrument could be implemented, comparing current complaint numbers with numbers after training.  We always conduct in-depth informational interviews to determine the most effective course of action for all involved. The approach we take will depend upon the needs of the organization or individuals involved and may include:

  1. An in-house train-the-trainer program
  2. Proactive workshops
  3. Remedial seminars
  4. Personalized, targeted one-on-one attention
  5. A series of short programs

References:
1. Kahn, MW:  Etiquette-based medicine. New England Journal of Medicine, May 8, 2008, 358; 19:1988-1989.

2. The Joint Commission: Behaviors that undermine a culture of safety. Published Online, July 9, 2008.

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