I think that common sense isn't anymore. Maybe it never was. Everyday I see examples of behaviors that seem like it should be self-evident to be irresponsible, disrespectful, or rude. Three common examples that are related to health care come to mind.
It should be common sense when you are driving to pull over when an ambulance with sirens and flashers going is within view. It seems to me that in New Castle, the only time people consistently pull off to the side of the road is when there is a funeral procession in progress. I suppose that it is comforting to the patient in the ambulance knowing that if he dies because of a delay in getting to the hospital caused by drivers not pulling over, he will at least get that courtesy in a few days during his funeral procession.
It should be common sense to treat authority figures with respect. If you are in a professional setting, you should address professionals by their titles regardless of whether or not you know them socially. You wouldn't (or rather shouldn't) call a judge by his first name in court, or a pastor by his first name in church, or a policeman by his first name when he's in uniform and you shouldn't call your doctor by his name in his office or the hospital.
Some doctors don't mind having their patients address them by their first name. Certainly that is their prerogative, but it just further erodes the status of physicians in society. The lawyers and media are doing a good enough job on their own of this and don't need the extra help.
Now I'm not an uppity guy by any means, but I like to be shown the respect I've earned by being addressed as a professional. I'm even OK with "doc", just ask my wife. So if you see me at Wal-Mart and want to say "Hey Keith, how are you?" that's fine, but in the office or hospital keep it professional.
It should be common sense to turn off your cell phone when you are in a doctor's office. While most people will turn them off in a movie theater or during a church service, I would argue that these same people do not see anything wrong with leaving their cell phone on during the entire time that they are in the doctor's office.
Too often people are talking on a cell phone why a nurse is checking vital signs or asking them questions about their health. This creates an unacceptable and avoidable chance for errors as well as causing a delay in making the chart ready for the doctor to evaluate the patient. A person talking on the phone when the doctor enters the room or who answers a cell phone while the doctor is present is telling his physician the type of patient he is going to be. Self-absorbed and non-compliant are some of the unappealing words that come to mind.
Now most people have voice mail and there is no good reason to leave a cell phone on during a doctor visit. Very, very few situations exist where a phone call can't be returned half an hour later or longer. Believe it or not, 15 years ago when most people didn't have cell phones, not many lives were lost by patients not being immediately accessible by cell phones during an office visit. If you are waiting on a phone call that is of such importance that you are willing to interrupt your evaluation by your physician, I would suggest you need to reschedule your visit.
While it is debatable that good manners are a thing of the past, it is clear to me that things that should go without saying (like pulling over for ambulances, calling a doctor by his title, and turning off cell phones during office visits) can't. So at the risk of alienating people, I am saying what needs to be said (or more accurately writing what needs to be written (and you are reading what needs to be read)).
