to want to tell dr's receptionist to shut up!

[mummy2isla]

The receptionist in our dr's surgery thinks herself to be a font of medical knowledge.

My favourite example was when, at 4 wks of age, my bf baby started coughing up blood. She advised me that it must be because I'd been eating tomatoes and it had gone through the milk. Brilliant.

Last time I was there she asked me loudly how the coil was working out for me, in a busy waiting room.

Every time I go to the dr for myself or for my baby she asks me what the problem is !! I always end up saying something as I feel like an a*sehole saying something like "I'd rather tell the doctor". Anyone else get this?

I get that on the phone, "whats the problem", hows about "fuck off it's none of your business". YANBU she sounds like a PITA.

I am moving shortly with a 7 week old baby so looked up the local surgery and emailed them about the best way to register him for his jabs - got the following reply

"Attn: xxxx
We do not normally correspond via e-mail, however, when you move come to the surgery & ask for registration forms."

Sorry, didn't realise the email address was just for show

They need to ask you what the problem is so that they can appropriately place you in an appointment. Lots of people ring their doctor because of chest pains for example - and they may need to be in A&E not strolling down to the GP in 48 hours time.

Asking you about your coil is not her job though - have you passed your comments on to the practice manager or to the PCT Patient Advice and Liaison service (PALS)?

What's the e-mail address for then ?!?

My friend has a 9 month old baby and is pregnant with 2nd. She went to dr's and they made her do a pregnancy test then go back and see a dr to get the result despite telling her that she could get it on the phone.. when she phoned the receptionist told her that she wasn't qualified to give out the results in case it caused her trauma .. WTF, she is a married 33 yr old and advised the dr she'd done 2 pregnancy tests ..

Some surgery receptionists seem to do their own version of triage. I've founf the best way to get around nosy/embarrassing questions and get appointments quickly is a very large tin of chocs and a card at Christmas, with occasional baked treats throughout the year!

I have never been asked what my problem is by the receptionist at my doctor's surgery northernlurker. And I wouldn't tell them if they did ask. Its between me and my doctor.

I would complain mummy2isla. There is, after all, a thing called patient confidentiality.

I think I will.

northernlurker when I telephone the surgery I have to press 1 for a medical emergency and 2 for a non-urgent appointment .. so it is basically nosiness.

The "red breast-milk from tomatoes" thing cracked me up though. Imagine if I'd listened to her and not gone to see the dr.

There's a really annoying receptionist at my Docs who asks people in a v. loud voice about their ailments.

Some poor old guy came into the surgery the other day and she decided to update his record there and then. She proceeded to ask him loudly in front of the entire waiting room about his weight, smoking, drinking, etc etc etc. The poor guy kept trying to whisper his answers and she just bellowed them back to him.

I was DYING for him.

Funnily enough, she never does this to me, I think my gimlet glare puts her off.

Daft mare.

Mummy2isla, I would complain and point out that advice like the " tomato flavoured breastmilk" could have been very dangerous if you were inclined to believe her.

We refer to the receptionists at our gp surgery as "the mrs ravens" as in "my hero" Good Luck!

I'm a DH, not her that must be obeyed! My qualification for DARING to have an input to this question? My dad was the senior GP in a practice before he retired...... if i wanted to phone him at work i HAD to get past the gatekeepers, (telephonists) Just wanting to find out whether he was free to speak to a family member... I had to complete the daily telegraph crossword_ over the phone!Then get passed to the next level demon(appointments)-Apparently they must be qualified to senior surgeon level, so that's why they feel they can advise you on how to attach your own severed arm without a doctor.My advice, a brief description of the ailment and MAKE sure you get that appointment.Take care all, be kind to us DH's

mummy2isla I would have made a complaint about your one

I changed doctors from one like this, I would tell them it was private.

My new doc's receptionists are all fab though, the only time they ask is if you don't have an appointment so they can relay the info to the doc and they arrange the doc to call you back or get you squeezed in.

Maybe their just doing the same....? If they are they are more friendly and discreet in any case.

They are meant to ask do you feel it's urgent ?
Not try and diagnose you over the phone and if somebody was having a heart attack in front of them or giving birth it's still not their job to start treating you.
Ideas above her station me thinks, but then Dh used to be a medical rep and said some of them actually did know more about patient care than the Dr's.

Tomato coloured breast milk? OMG! What logic is that? Ask her why cow's milk isn't green...

dr's receptionist always asks what the problem is when i call.
once i called for baby who was running very high temperature. she got me an appt and told me 'in the mean time make sure you keep him wrapped up nice and warm'

I never had this problem at my Dr's surgery but if it had I would complain on two grounds:

1. she is giving you a "diagnosis" that could have been very damageable to to your baby.

1. By blurting out questions loudly in front of other patients, surely she is in breach of patient confidentiality?

I think you will find a lot of surgeries use triage systems where they have to ask questions and enter the results into the computer before allocating an appointment. I'm sure they don't all enjoy having to ask people what is wrong.

They probably also have to ask people questions about weight and smoking etc, I hardly imagine they are just being nosey.

I think its funny that someone is complaining on this thread that the receptionist wouldnt give them results on the phone, while others complain that they DO give results.

They can't win.

But I do feel the OP's receptionist was out of order discussing personal matters in front of other people and offering dubious opinions. However re the breastmilk she was probably trying to be helpful.

(not a doctors receptionist, but a dentists one, who also gets a bit of grief as I ask people questions on the phone when they call for an emergency appointment..and the reason I am asking is I have a triage sheet in front of me written by the dentist which I have to fill out! )

I used to agree with you, still do actually in a way, but a few days ago I was worried about DS being dehydrated and rang for an appointment at 4pm (really frowned upon!) and told her the problem, didn't even finish and she said, "Bring him straight round"!

So normally I agree, but if I hadn't have told her, she may not have seen it as urgent IYSWIM?

I think the problem is not about her asking the qurstions, FFTYM, I think it is the fact that it has been done very insensitively, loudly in front of other patients. Now as it was an old gentleman the receptionist might have assumed he was deaf but she should have realised most other patients waiting were not.

One of our doctors' surgeries receptionist used to tell us to give calpol to our babies with temperatures

Totally inappropriate for a receptionist to be suggesting drugs over the phone IMHO

monkeylaine

Fair enough about the triage system Fanjo but to ask people questions about their weight, etc very loudly in front of a packed waiting room is a little tactless. Let's face it, people are bored in waiting rooms and will listen to anything......

The poor guy I saw was obviously very uncomfortable, I can't see that she had to do it there and then and so bloody loudly. I would have refused or insisted it was done quietly but then I'm a stroppy cow.

She also asks people very very loudly about their ailments across the waiting room. Bless her.

YANBU my mum rang her Dr and ask could they re-new hew prescription, "oh no we can't do that over the phone you have to come down" all well and good if mum was not in a wheelchair and has no way to get out of the house.....

Maybe if the Dr had done his job in the first place mum would still have two legs

Yes I didn't say questions shouldn't be asked sensitively.

I actually find it quite difficult at work as there is nowhere at all private I can ask people things..sometimes old people say they don't have their glasses with them and can I read out the questions on the form to them, which include "Are you HIV positive?" I do try to speak quietly, but often they are deaf too and ask me to speak up!

I dont think the OP was being unreasonable either.

And I never agree with rudeness and insensitivity/embarrassing patients.

My only bugbear is that people always rant on these threads about receptionists asking questions when they try to make an appointment, when they have no idea that the receptionists have probably been told to perform basic triage.

Anyway I should stay off these threads, people obviously like to have a good rant about receptionists from time to time, and I should probably let them!