A study in the journal Social Science and Medicine highlights the critical role medical receptionists play in frontline patient care, noting that their responsibilities encompass much more than administrative duties.
Hospital ward clerks, unit secretaries, and office receptionists often are the first people patients see in clinics and hospitals. For the study, a researcher from the York Management School of the University of York in England observed and interviewed about 30 receptionists in general practice offices across three years.
The results showed that in addition to administrative duties, some receptionists dealt with up to 70 people in a single day. According to the findings, the work was often "emotionally challenging," as receptionists often had to perform other tasks including confirming prescriptions, helping mentally ill patients, congratulating new mothers, and consoling family members.
The study found that successful receptionists were able to adapt their emotions to meet patients' needs. However, emotionally distancing themselves from patients backfired at times, when patients perceived the receptionist to be "barring access to primary care," according to the author.
The author suggests that receptionists undergo training for how to deal with the emotional aspects of their role. Increased recognition and support also could lead to fewer misunderstandings with patients. For example, clinics could have explicit policies that require requests to see a physician to be fulfilled within 72 hours instead of 24 hours ( From the Advisory Board)
Also see the NY Times report.
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