Clients who seek social services are often found to be confused, baffled and at times ignorant about social work. In addition, they appear at social work agencies with a sense of stigma and fearful expectations. For example, patients who arrive at a hospital, are most likely in a moment of crisis and are sensitive to their first point of contact and reception. In most hospitals, the first point of contact is usually the waiting room. Studies have shown that waiting time and the waiting environment play an important role in patient satisfaction. In one of the studies, patients in waiting rooms described “feeling numb, hoping for improvement, being afraid, having no control, walking around like a robot and feeling powerless” (Yoon & Sonneveld, 2010, p. 279). According to Muller-Staub et al. (2008) feelings of nausea, hunger, insecurity, thirst, and anxiety are not well detected by nurses. There is an indication that hospital staff fail to notice patient states and emotions hence do not offer the most appropriate services.
In some cases, the perception of waiting time is considered a key indicator for patient satisfaction (Pruyn & Smidts, 1998). Personally, the words of a philosopher, William James, describe the waiting room in its entirety. James’ famous quote is that “boredom results from being attentive to the passage of time”. Whenever an individual feels that he or she has spent more time than they should in the waiting room, a feeling of dissatisfaction might arise. There is the expectation of getting attended to early enough which is a demonstration that the institution cares through the receptionist’s sensitivity toward the patient. Descriptively, The waiting environment can be perceived in terms of the physical components such as lighting and in terms of elements of distraction for example availability of reading materials and television. For Yoon and Sonneveld (2010), the presence of modes of distraction leads to a perceived shorter time period which improves patient satisfaction. Patients also tend to wait longer and also appreciate the time taken when the environment is more attractive.
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Receptionists in waiting rooms also play an important role in how patients perceive the given service. For example, patients do not appreciate receptionists who want them to discuss personal problems in public environments such as waiting rooms. A receptionist with such kind of behavior projects his or her disinterestedness, insensitivity and devaluation of the patient (Lishman, 1994). Patients prefer that receptionists not only show personal concern but are also mindful of their professional boundary during interaction. In a case where a patient is addressing the receptionist who seems distracted, the likelihood of being dissatisfied with the service provided increases.
The National Association of Social Workers' (NASW) Code of Ethics provides standards, values, and principles to guide social workers in their conduct. According to the NASW code of ethics, one of the primary ethical responsibilities of a social worker is commitment to the clients. The well-being of all clients should be the main focus of all social workers. Taking this into consideration, hospital waiting lobbies should always be well furnished for the comfort of patients. The waiting rooms should also have a variety of materials to distract the patients during their wait. The code of ethics also requires workers to adhere to informed consent, that is, “Social workers should provide services to clients only in the context of a professional relationship based, when appropriate, on valid informed consent” (NASW code of ethics, p.2)
Therefore receptionists should at all times ensure that there is effective communication to patients in case of expected delays or changes in service provision. Nevertheless, the receptionist should also seize from discussing patients' personal information such as medical records in public.
References
Lishman, J. (1994). Communication in social work . Basingstoke: Macmillan.
Muller-Staub M, Meer R, Briner G, Probst MT, Needham I.(2008) Measuring patient satisfaction in an emergency unit of a Swiss university hospital: Concept clarification and results (part 1),
Pruyn, A. Smidts, Ale. (1998). Effects of waiting on the satisfaction with the service: Beyond objective time measures. International Journal of Research in Marketing. 15. 321-334. 10.1016/S0167-8116(98)00008-1.
The National Association of Social Workers (NASW). Code of ethics. Retrieved from https://www.uaf.edu/socwork/student-information/checklist/(D)-NASW-Code-of-Ethics.pdf
Yoon, J. & Sonneveld, M. (2010). Anxiety of patients in the waiting room of the emergency department. 279-286. 10.1145/1709886.1709946.
