To think the receptionist was out of order?

[umbrellaellaella]

I went to see my GP, as I've been experiencing irregular bleeding. He persuaded me to have swabs and a smear test (I have never had one). Just to rule anything out. He wrote this on a piece of paper and told me to give it to the receptionist.

I did, and she read it out, loudly - "So you want to be booked in for swabs and a smear test." The surgery wasn't crowded - there was only one patient sitting down, and the cleaner. But the cleaner was half in conversation with the receptionist when I came over, so she was standing there listening, waiting to chat again. Both people definitely heard.

I am not a prude, but I feel it was really wrong of her to say that, especially so loudly? It's my private medical business, and surely receptionists should have a little more discretion? Or am I overreacting? I know I shouldn't be embarrassed, but I was a bit shocked at how she was.

I think the whole confidentiality thing should extend to all staff at GP surgeries and hospitals and also a pharmacist. Pretty much every time I collect my medication the pharmacist yells out what it is I am collecting. It's just unprofessional and rude. I have told a GP receptionist off before for speaking loudly about something personal. I was polite but told her it was not OK.

Not being unreasonable AT ALL!! Condidenality is everything here. I went to pick up contraception once and had my kids with me and full waiting room. The receptionist was the epitome of discretion. Even wrote me messages instead of speaking to me. I’d rather people were too careful with my private life than the other way round! Good luck with your tests 💐

I'm sorry, I don't want to be mean but I think that your attitude is worse than hers. You've never had a smear test and had to be persuaded? Unless you are very young, that's a really silly attitude. It's normal to talk about smear tests and book them in - and certainly I'm much more in favour of the Receptionist's attitude than yours, as yours endangers lives.

I don't care if it's about migraine or blood pressure or anything. That's my confidential information and I don't want it broadcast. Yanbu

The point being it's up to the OP whether she wants to share her medical history not the receptionist
I would be really cross

Are receptionists not bound to patient confidentiality? If not, then they jolly well should be - and if they are, then the OP's receptionist needs re-training.

YADNBU. It has nothing to do with whether you should or shouldn’t be embarrassed about smears etc. It’s very definitely an issue that YOUR personal medical details are being openly discussed in front of others (doesn’t matter if that’s one person or a packed room).

The receptionist should clearly know this and you need to feed that back to your surgery so they can give some further training.

I think GP receptionists should be discreet as a default generally tbh.

OP might not be old enough to have been called for a smear yet?

YANBU. I phoned to make an appointment for my son (age 17 but in school and unable to call at the time that they release the appointments) and the receptionist was insisting that I tell her what he wanted the appointment for. I just said I don't know (as I don't, it's his business, he's 17 and if he wants me to know he'll tell me) and she kept insisting that she needed to know. Is no-one allowed any privacy between themselves and the GP? I wasn't asking for anything other than a normal length appointment with whatever GP was available out of school hours in a reasonable time-frame. i.e. a routine appointment. Whilst your appointment was nothing to be ashamed off, I think you are entitled to a reasonable amount of privacy when making it.

Yanbu. Nobody elses business. So what if other people wouldn't be bothered, YOU were, and nobody else needed to know. I would also put in a complaint. I also don't understand the attitude of others on this thread, blaming you for not being tested sooner. People develop anxieties and phobias for a whole raft of reasons, and berating them is never the solution.

Mine says please dont queue near the window because sensitive information will be discussed. So for me there is an expectation that will be followed and therefore nothing should be discussed loudly.

So here she should not have said it loudly. But you cannot expect her not to discuss it at all, it a normal medical test that she books in on a daily basis. So yes to expect her not to say it and not to confirm what was written on the note is your issue not hers.

If I had overheard it in the doctors would not have thought anything off it.

Basic confidentiality issue. YANBU OP. Nothing to do with being comfortable with women’s health issues. Would everyone be happy to have their appointment for incontinence, a genital rash or haemorrhoids discussed in front of the entire surgery? I doubt it.

We all know it’s normal etc etc, but a little discretion goes a long way.

Why did she need to read the note aloud? Surely "The Dr wants me to book you in again, here are some dates" would suffice? YANBU to expect the receptionist to respect your privacy.

Our GP receptionist is the classic gossip. I don't know how she's kept her job so long, as she's rude and another one of those that insists on knowing every detail, then announces it loudly across the waiting room.

I think OP is right feeling as she does. Not everyone is as open about smears etc. What if she was having blood tests for HIV? Or a swab fr gonorrhea?

Do you live in a village or small town OP? Our local bank has an open-plan area where customers can go for advice. No one uses it as the woman doing it is loud, repeats everything unnecessarily and then discusses customers over lunch at the cafe opposite!

I don't think it's very professional, but it wouldn't have bothered me. I did once have an argument debate with a hospital receptionist when having fertility issues. I needed to book a scan of my ovaries as my periods had been MIA for several years. The receptionist insisted it had to be on specified days of my cycle e.g. days 10-14. I explained I couldn't tell her when it would be as periods were AWOL. She refused to book it unless I gave her the dates. This was repeated several times with her getting louder and crosser each time I couldn't answer her question. She then demanded to know the date of my last period so she could work it out for me! She still didn't get it when I told her I was currently on day 840 or whatever it was. In the end I told her I would go back down to the consultant and tell him I couldn't get her to book an appointment. At that point another receptionist virtually pushed her aside and offered me a date. This took place in front of a very busy waiting room.

I don't think you're overrreacting, but rather than complain as such, I would try to educate. I would a) try and pick a quiet moment in the surgery (ha!) to have a word with the receptionist, nicely. Or write a note to the receptionists if that isn't possible.

Something along the lines of

"Dear Receptionist,

Let me start by saying you usually do a super job, often under pressure and deal with many demanding situations in a day's work. However I would just like to highlight something that you may not have thought of.

Recently I was given a note by the doctor to bring over to reception to book in for a vaginal swab and a smear. This information was written down, however you asked me out loud "So you want to book in for a swab and a smear" within earshot of other people in the surgery.

I did feel uncomfortable at having this information read out aloud, for patient confidentiality reasons and also because the content was of a very private/personal nature.

You also asked about dates when this appointment could be booked. Obviously, there are certain days on the female cycle in which a swab and/or smear cannot successfully be performed, so I said those dates wouldn't work due to my cycle. I felt uncomfortable having to explain out loud that I would be on my period on the days you were suggesting.

I understand that it may not have occurred to you that reading out my note about a swab and a smear would be embarrassing for me/make me feel like my patient confidentiality had been compromised. However, it did. I am sure that you wouldn't want a patient to feel this.

Once again, I appreciate the work that you do in the surgery. I would just like to bring this matter to your attention so that the service can be improved even further.

Yours sincerely,

OP.

*Having written this, I actually feel it's a darn liberty and you should throw the book at her I'd be fuming. But the right thing to do is try to educate in the first instance, and people are usually more willing to listen if their good work is pointed out as well as their, um, bad work.

T would bother me. For sure

I remember once a receptionist phoning me. During w very busy time in the surgery. Asking me if I knew I’d missed my 1 hr depression app

A. I didn’t have depression. I had Addison’s disease.

B. She said my name. I live in a tiny village. People then came up to me and asked about my depression....

C. I didn’t even know I’d missed an app!!

That was personal confidential. Information she gave out. To the whole village it seems!

I am stunned at some of the responses to this thread. No YADNBU at all. She broke your confidentiality and in her position she should have known better. I would make a complaint to the practice manager. I wouldn’t be surprised if she has done this before to be honest.

^^ Regarding my suggested note, you could drop it off at the surgery directly to the receptionist in question, if it's busy, rather than posting it in and risk having it going awol.

It’s clear some people wouldn’t be bothered with this, but I am not one of them. I am very private about things and I do not think this something I should apologise for, or feel badly about. My private and confidential medical information is just that, private and confidential. I would consider complaining about this.

I also agree with RibbonAurora and others who say this is nothing to do with being comfortable about women’s health issues. I can think of a number of things I wouldn’t like to discuss at the reception and, again, I don’t feel I need to apologise for feeling this way.

Oh and PS. In my surgery the receptionist(s) absolutely know in advance that you can't have a smear on certain days and they ask "What days are good for you?" then, in a whisper "mid cycle?" if you didn't get their drift straight away. They know that if they don't ask, and you book an appointment during your period, the practice nurse's time has been wasted, your time has been wasted, someone else could have had that appointment etc. It would be a waste of time and money all round.

And they wouldn't dream of reading that note out loud. They would just read it and go straight into dates on the computer. That's the kind of service you're entitled to. Something dignified and confidential.

What if a person was having a test for an STD? Nobody here would want that advertising out loud by reception, I'm sure.

A badly trained receptionist. She was in the wrong to do that.

Also people are missing the point that it wasn't just a smear test, which is fairly standard, but also a swab. So anyone in earshot might think, ooh I wonder what she's got, thrush, STI?

I would have been embarrassed too and the receptionist should have known better.

I agree with you OP. She shouldn't have done that. All she needed to do was look for dates that suited you.