The average individual visits the doctor’s office, or even hospital at least one time per year. Our visits can range, from routine checkups, to more invasive procedures that obligate us to visit the doctor’s office. Regardless of your reason, visiting the doctor’s office or hospital is almost necessary to ensure you are healthy and can overcome any illnesses that you may be facing.

Doctors and nurses have a very important job- they need to ensure all patients that walk through their door are treated properly and leave their facility on the road to recovery. It’s a doctor’s job to ensure our society is safe from sickness, and disease. Doctors and nurses handle all types of obstacles- from physical imperfections or injury, to internal disease and mental health. As a doctor, you have a lot to be held accountable for!

But, are there things that are currently enforced within these facilities that could be improved upon? Are there things that your family doctor does that could consequently affect your health and well being, if they aren’t completed properly?

Sanitation

As patients visit the doctor’s office, they will be bombarded with signs that warn of the dangers associated with germs. Usually, handwashing advertisements are posted on almost every door. The signs warn patients who may be coughing or have sneezed recently- that they should be sure their hands are thoroughly cleaned before touching other things. These signs and advertisements are especially prevalent during the cooler winter months, when illnesses tend to break out much easier.

Next time you visit your family doctor, take special note of these areas. Additionally, inspect your doctor’s behavior. Are there areas they could improve upon? Sometimes, doctors may forget to wear gloves when first visiting a sick patient. Though they can easily wash their hands after handling patients, wouldn’t it be better to wear gloves in the first place? Sickness can easily spread this way.

Additionally, ensuring medical devices and equipment are thoroughly and properly cleaned can ensure disease and sickness are not being spread. Most doctors office have standards and protocols set forth to ensure all nurses practice this behavior, but it is something to keep in mind when visiting your doctor.

Education

The most important way we can keep others safe while visiting the doctor’s office is to spread the word, and educate patients. Regularly washing your hands while touching objects within the doctor’s office can help to keep you and your family safe during your visit.

Additionally, if you work in a doctor’s office, educate your staff about the dangers associated with unsanitary behaviors. Practice safe behaviors and actions in front of them, with hopes that they will adopt this way of thinking into their practices with patients.

Additionally, doctors should implement more education when it comes to informing patients, into their routines. Patients cannot be educated enough, and following up to check on their progress and how they are doing after a procedure should be commonplace. Some doctors and nurses regularly practice this, but there are still many that do not.

More training

Another excellent way to keep patients safe, and reduce medical malpractice is to require more extensive training for nurses and doctors. As most always say, more learning can never hurt.

Doctors and nurses should be required to take more “refresher” types of courses, to brush up on certain skills or knowledge they have but may not regularly practice everyday. Conducting seminars with other local doctors and medical professionals in the area can allow our doctors and nurses to collaborate with other practices, and learn from the standards and procedures they commonly practice. Networking, and having an open level of communication to those who are within similar occupations will always help professionals to grow into stronger, more knowledgeable individuals.

Next time you take a visit to the doctors, be sure you are noting some of the common practices set forth by those we heavily rely on for our well being and health. Are hands being washed as much as they should be? Is the equipment being used sanitary and safe to utilize? Have I washed my hands before and after visiting the doctors? What can my doctor do to improve his practice and treatment process?