The impact of a name - #hellomynameis

It’s a little thing, but it is having a big impact.

That’s the message from leaders and staff at Mildura Base Hospital, which has adopted the #hellomynameis campaign to improve its focus on communication between carers and patients.

The campaign encourages carers to properly introduce themselves at the start of interactions with patients, and take a moment to explain how they will be assisting the patient.

“One of the important experiences I have found was while I was working in the emergency department,” said Dr Peter Van Vuuren, ENT Surgeon at Mildura Base Hospital.

“If you take that minute to introduce yourself and ‘sit down’, in a sense, with your patient to establish what the problem is and what you are going to work on together, it really speeds up the whole process and makes it more pleasant for both parties.

“It also ensures that patients feel safe and free to question you if they think you are going in the wrong direction. It is a crucial part of the whole process of interacting and working towards a common goal.”

To find out more about the impact of a name on the team at Mildura Base Hospital, watch the video above.