Things We Do for No Reason™: Standing at the bedside.

Area of Science:

• Medical Communication
• Patient Experience
• Clinical Etiquette

Background:

• Hospitalists frequently communicate with patients at the bedside.
• Current practices often involve standing rather than sitting during these interactions.
• The importance of non-verbal communication and patient comfort in hospital settings is increasingly recognized.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of hospitalist sitting posture on physician-patient communication.
• To determine if sitting at the bedside affects the time spent with patients.
• To assess the role of sitting in etiquette-based medicine.

Main Methods:

• Observational study comparing hospitalists who sat versus stood at the bedside.
• Analysis of communication effectiveness through patient and physician feedback.
• Time-motion study to record duration of bedside encounters.

Main Results:

• Sitting at the bedside significantly improves physician-patient communication compared to standing.
• No significant difference in the time spent with patients whether the hospitalist sat or stood.
• Sitting facilitates achieving eye level, a key component of respectful communication.

Conclusions:

• Hospitalists should adopt a sitting posture when communicating with patients at the bedside.
• Sitting enhances communication and patient rapport without compromising efficiency.
• Implementing this practice aligns with principles of etiquette-based medicine and patient-centered care.