Parents who show rudeness and lash out on the medical staff at hospitals or clinics might have to reconsider their behavior. A new study has revealed that their babies could receive low-quality care from the hospital workers as a result, thus lowering and delaying the chances of their children getting better.
The study, which has been published in the Pediatrics journal, followed 39 different NICU teams who participated in a training workshop. They were told that the research was about learning debriefing techniques and not an experiment on how medical staffers would respond to rudeness.
The teams encountered different cases of babies needing NICU care, such as breathing difficulties, severe jaundice or bleeding. Workshop actors who pretended to be parents made either rude or nice comments towards the doctors, nurses and hospital staff.
The researchers saw that teams poorly performed on their tasks after dealing with a rude parent. They became less flexible and helpful. They were also less coordinated mentally, which affected their service to the babies in the NICU.
Teams who didn't encounter rudeness from parents, on the other hand, were able to communicate better and also performed their tasks efficiently. They were able to manage their workload with ease, thus delivering better care for their patients.
Some teams were also given written and oral exercises on dealing with rudeness from patients' family beforehand. Researchers learned that the exercises helped the hospital staff handle rude encounters with parents better because they were prepared.
"As in all contexts, rude behavior is an ineffective approach to getting the best service," Dr. Sandy Hershcovis said, according to Reuters. Rude parents could be channeling their frustrations and fears for their children but the research highlights how hospital workers are also emotional humans vulnerable to attacks.
Working at a hospital NICU is as stressful as it is but the study is a fitting reminder that goes both ways. Doctors, nurses and hospital staff should be sensitive and respectful towards their patients and their families, while parents should keep their manners in check and temper their emotions to avoid negative encounters.
