What do GP receptionists ask intrusive questions?

[jeaux90]

AIBU to not expect to tell the receptionist more details? She asked me the nature of the appointment. I said it’s a gynaecological issue, she asked if I could share more information I said no, I’m not comfortable doing that. It wasn’t an emergency appointment and I asked for a female GP. Surely she didn’t need to know anything more?

They are made to triage all requests,,,,however, in my opinion this is very dangerous and I think all triage should be done by a qualified member of staff as I've had GP unqualified staff miss very serious issues which have then turned up very late to treat at my hospital.
But triage is expensive and time consuming so unqualified staff do the basics. Proper triage which I do often at work means digging into the patients medical records, identifying issues and risk factors that could otherwise be missed and looking at recent investigations and other hospital records.
Really, the more information you can give reception the more likely it is you'll be seen and risk factors identified. Refusniks go to the back of the queue from lack of information.

As far as I know it's computer based and the questions they ask and answers they type will route to the next relevant question.
Like with 999.
"Is the patient breathing"
Depending on whether you answer yes or no will lead to the next question.

Have people never noticed that receptionists are sat in from of a computer?
(and have been for years).
It's not like Miss Higgins on Call the Midwife with a phone, hand written diary and a set of drawers with hand written notes in any more.
They read the information from the computer.

Why are medical receptionists treated with such distane?

They are doing their job and only asking question they are required to.

I feel sorry for them, they're following instructions and doing their job and get no end of shit for it. The receptionists in my surgery have been in the jobs for years and didn't used to have to ask. What a shit thing to have piled on them.

However, they have been top class and have made the right call so far every time I have contacted them either for myself or my daughter. Phone appointment, in-person appointment, double appointment, send you to the pharmacist etc - they're the ones that have to figure it out and they can't do that without the right information. They do always keep appointments for children, and if they have plenty of appointments available in the next couple of days they will usually not ask. So they're doing their best under pretty poor circumstances. A lot of people will under or over-play their condition.

Because they are TOLD to, so they can triage you to the correct GP, HCP, or nurse. They're not asking 'personal and intrusive questions' because they're plain nosey! It's literally their job to ask.

This thread subject comes up every couple of months on here, and the answer is always the same. (The answer being 'they are told to ask...')

I don't understand why people are so butthurt and offended by it. Do you think Janet the receptionist is asking so she can gossip about you to people?

If they want to know anything/find out anything about your health and medical history, they can just look in your file, and in your GP health record.

Get a grip @jeaux90

.

Many people won't mind answering the receptionist's questions, so if that helps to get more people to the right place sooner, that's a win.

If people are uncomfortable, I agree that saying so is fine. The converse exists too. I know some people who are happier and less anxious speaking to the receptionist than to a doctor.

It sounds as if you handled it fine OP but I do think receptionists are right to ask.

Because they have often been exceptionally rude to them in the past, as well as those who have been professional and polite. I've been reduced to tears by a GP receptionist, seen it happen to many others, as well as had really helpful, friendly encounters. Unfortunately the professional, polite ones don't seem to stay for long. At my GP surgery, 2 have gone on to become HCAs and one a midfiwe.

As well as professional service, I have also been given incorrect, dangerous information (if I had followed it) about a vaccine for myself, and about treatment for my child.

Unfortunately, it is the minority negative encounters that stuck in people's minds and contribute to the negative impression people form of the first people they encounter at a practice, the GP receptionists. I do feel they are have often been fed to the wolves by inadequate practice management though and I welcome efforts to put in better, automated systems.

However, I was spoken to very rudely by a GP receptionist only last week when I was trying to drop off a consultant letter asking the GP to refer me and was only asking if there was a way to do this without taking up an appointment. She refused to read the letter and seemwd incapable of understanding what I was saying so resorted to being rude. Surgeries need to spend more on training and recruitment imo.

They aren’t. I don’t. I treat them with respect but I won’t disclose intimate medical information.

No @Zovyou get a grip. I do not consent to share intimate gynaecological details with someone who is not medically trained. Women are allowed boundaries, we are allowed to say no.

A receptionist should never be doing medical triage. While it's true they can filter some enquiries such as someone with a previously diagnosed condition, they shouldn't be in the business of differentiating on a new medical problem.

we have to put a brief description of the problem so the medical professional knows what you're coming in with, they look in your notes before they see you.

I have never come across a doctor who has done this. It would be useful but they don't read the notes.
You can do an e consult at our surgery. Seemed like a good idea and a few times I put plenty of details in on the naïve assumption that a doctor could look at it and either give me advice or write a prescription. In fact the receptionists just use it to filter and give out appointments.

This. Phoning to say you had been bleeding for 8 weeks and large clumps and clots being produced and forming and feeling faint, completely different to your vaginal discharge being a bit dry over the last week. Both might need investigation at one point or another but the first is definitely more important. She is triaging aka her job.

One of the issues I had with e-consult is that all the medical detail I put in there was just input word for word by an admin person onto the system.

I tell the GP receptionists all kinds of stuff that I would not discuss with a random or a neighbour. Its their job to do traige and they carry this out for thousands of people. The information means nothing to them on an individual basis.

So say no, and don't start threads asking why they're doing their jobs? Seems quite straightforward.

I think people need to stop infantilising here. I was very clear in my OP and with further clarification. I needed a prescription. Not a smear or internal examination.

They don't. The info goes to the duty Dr who then triages.

Yes and I’m pretty sure I would have been clear about that. In fact I said it was a non emergency gynaecological issue.

They are operating in a professional and medical environment so what is the issue?

They may also have to read your notes, order perscrptions etc so most likely will have your information anyway.

Well good luck getting the right person to help you then.

Exactly! The OP is acting as if they can't find things out if she digs her heels in and refuses to answer any questions! 😆

As I said @jeaux90 IT IS THEIR JOB TO ASK. As like I said before, get a grip. And don't tell ME to get a grip, because I don't need to hun. You're the one who is overreacting.

.

@Zovread the OP again and my replies again. It was a non emergency gynaecological situation I needed a prescription for. I do not need to disclose my intimate issues in order to be directed to the right person when the only person who can give me what I want is my GP. I HTH.

@AwfullyGoodbecause they aren’t medically trained.

Have to admit that I’m rather sceptical of being triaged by the receptionists at my surgery after getting some very poor advice on one occasion. My mum had just been diagnosed with a serious hereditary heart condition and her consultant recommended her children see their GP to get a referral for an echocardiogram to check if we’d inherited it.

My sisters had no problem with theirs but when I went to book an appointment, the receptionist told me it wasn’t necessary as they could carry out ECGs at the surgery and it was the same thing. She then called the practice manager over who agreed with her!

Because we have to, as instructed by our bosses, the GP’s who own & run the surgery. If we don’t document enough info, we get into trouble. We have no personal interest in what is wrong with you.