Business Builder: Being a Good Doctor in Great Britain and Ireland
Are you a doctor in Great Britain or Ireland? Perhaps (maybe) you are a doctor in another country but you want to move to the UK or Ireland. Wonderful! We need your expertise and experience, and I want to thank you for helping people everywhere you go. I would just like to share some information about important cultural expectations where I live, and how to help you be the kind of doctor that people here really need.
You Know the Science
I’m not here to tell you how to diagnose or treat anyone. Why? Because I have no idea what I’m talking about and you know that already. Today’s focus is on cultural needs, gender and language expectations to help you be the best GB or Irish doctor you can be.
What is “Bedside Manner”?
Bedside manner is a term that describes how you make your patients feel when you talk to and treat them. It’s a well-established fact at this point that medical treatment has massively improved healing effects when you combine it with (add it to) a bedside manner that people in that culture find to be caring and supportive. That means some cultural influence needs to be considered when you are treating patients in a new country.
Unfortunately, it’s not just about the science, so let’s look at what people in GB or Ireland respond to best when being treated by a doctor:
Feeling listened to and respected.
Feeling their questions were answered and their concerns were taken seriously.
Feeling that the doctor is invested in their wellbeing and understands their fears and discomfort.
Feeling their doctor has taken the time to read about their case.
Feeling they are being treated the same as any other patient and not spoken to or given a different level of help based on gender, financial situation, education level, social status, ethnicity, or any other non-medical personal circumstances.
Gender Differences
Working in a different culture can mean you need to alter (change or adapt) some of your personal beliefs or habits (things you do automatically), but when you are a doctor this is especially necessary. This is what your patients need. In our culture women are equal to men, and although the research into women’s health has been terrible historically, the modern attitude is that women need to be treated according to (based on) their physical differences, and different life experiences, they should not be listened to, believed, supported, or respected any less than a man.
As a woman in England, I can say from my own experiences that the one issue that comes up time and time again when being treated by a medical professional from another culture is that I am treated as an inferior (someone less important or powerful) by a male doctor. Speaking from my own extensive medical experience (as a patient!) I can tell you that I don’t respect you or believe you any less because you were not born or educated in the UK, so please respect me as an equal human being and ask yourself, “Would I speak to an adult male this way?” and if the answer is no, you need to rethink how you treat patients in the UK.
Physical Touch
This is always a difficult adjustment between cultures because physical touch comes very naturally to us based on what we know from our own culture. In the UK and Ireland, we do not normally touch other people, even as a friendly gesture, when in a medical situation. Of course, you need to touch your patients when diagnosing them, but this is only done as part of the diagnosis. Touching a shoulder, a leg or an arm can be very friendly and reassuring in other countries and cultures, but in the UK and Ireland, we don’t do this unless we are friends.
There is one physical touch that is respectful, friendly, and professional, and that is to shake your patient’s hand when you meet them. You might not want to do this because of hygiene, which is understandable, but this is the best way to physically greet your patient if you want to do this. A good handshake is one that is strong but not painful.
Answering Questions
The time pressure you are under as a doctor in the UK is a big problem. It is totally understandable that doctors are motivated to keep appointments as short as possible, but this should not be done by not answering your patient’s questions. Long explanations can take a lot of appointment time, but a solution can be to give your patients notes to find out more about themselves when they have time. Give them keywords and phrases to research and recommend sources of information that can be trusted to help them understand the situation in more detail. If your patient is asking you something, it’s because they need to understand to heal, and they are coming to you as a trusted expert.
Summing Up
If you are working in the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK or Ireland, you will already know how difficult it is to be this prepared, and this patient and kind to every patient you meet, mainly because you have so little time for each consultation. At the moment things are especially difficult for doctors here, and I believe patients have some understanding of the pressure you work under. It is, however, an essential part of healing to understand your condition and your treatment, and to feel respected and cared for. Cultural needs are a large part of this. So, think about your bedside manner and whether you are as expert in this area as you are in your scientific knowledge and practical experience.
