Improving on Constructive Criticism A new medical assistant, Janelle, was hired at an outpatient medical center. Her supervisor found an error she made on a patient's record and sent Janelle the following email. Edit the email so that it is a good

Question

example of constructive criticism. "I just want you to know how angry I am to find an error you made on Mr. Smith's record yesterday. How careless can you be about such an important thing? There is absolutely no room for carelessness in this job because people's lives depend on us! I've fixed the error, but if this ever happens again, you may lose your job.".

Answer 1

1 . Start the message with a buffer that factually explains the importance of accuracy in medical records.
2 . Provide an example of how a seemingly minor detail can have major ramifications for patients.
3 . Point out the error made by Janelle and explain how it should have been recorded.
4 . Offer to help answer questions or to double-check her work while she is in training. Provide suggestions that will help her to avoid future errors with patient records.
5 . Encourage her to excellence.

A proposed solutions follows:

TO: Janelle
SUBJECT: Patient Record Accuracy

Accuracy in patient records is a top priority for all of us at Medical Center. Among the myriad of details that we must enter daily on patient records, an error can sometimes occur. When discovered, we try to correct these as quickly as possible to avoid serious problems in treating our patients.

I'm sure that you realize the serious nature of incorrectly recording information on patient charts. The consequence of one error can have far reaching ramifications, including life-threatening patient issues and medical malpractice. With this in mind, it is critically important that you check and double-check all of the information that you enter in patient records.

The recent error you made on Mr. Smith's record was thankfully not life threatening, but this serves as an important reminder to you that all information must be checked before entering. This is an essential part of your job, and there is no room for error. Some of our more experienced medical assistants would be glad to provide tips for double-checking patient information prior to recording. I've scheduled a brief training session tomorrow at 8 a.m. with Jeremy Combs who will review this matter with you.