Complaints that actually improve care (if we listen to them)

Nobody likes to make a complaint. It can be a tedious process and, what's more, it's frowned upon by the person or institution receiving it. Yet constructive criticism is essential for improvement. The healthcare system is not excluded.

That said, who would want to complain about a medical service? The fear that care will be worse because the staff have been offended often prevails. Except when the patient is a doctor himself.

Indeed, it's enough for them to experience the other side of the coin and have to be cared for for them to realize the successes, certainly, but also the problems of a system that sometimes overlooks the human aspect. It has to be said that the image of the doctor who only follows his patient is not a realistic one. The medical team is constantly taking turns, chasing after emergencies, needs and so on.

Listening to the mass of beneficiaries can bring out some very interesting points about, among other things, confidentiality, which at times was more compromised by letters displaying the name of the service. The issue of knowing the results can also come into play; some patients would like to be able to see them without the doctor, in order to reassure themselves more than the adage said by some practitioners: "no news, good news".

For their part, doctors' complaints about the attitude of patients who arrive with ready-made diagnoses, who film consultations (when the opposite would be forbidden for the sake of discretion) or who harass staff, are important.

They enable us to reflect on policies and approaches that take into account the human and structural needs of hospitals. Because the idea is to find solutions that don't already add to the medical staff's long list of tasks.

Expert opinion - When the hospital listens to those who complain about it

Running time: 26min22

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