Something I’ve noticed about catching people’s names now that I’ve met dozens upon dozens of new people during my hospital stay:

In Swedish it’s just as common to say ”Per heter jag” as it is to say ”Jag heter Per”. Both of those mean ”My name is Per”. It’s of course possible to say ”Per is my name” in English but I don’t pick up on that order of words as often as I do in Swedish.

When people enter your room and immediately say ”Per is my name, hello, how are you, it’s time for your meds” there’s a TON of information in there. My chances of remembering the name of a new person is next to zero, unless they have the same name as me or one of my family members. And the meds part really brings focus away from the person I’m meeting for the first time.

Making sure to lead with how you are about to say your name: ”Hello, my name is Per”, pausing for my response and then continuing with ”I am here to…” gives me a sporting chance.

When people say ”My name is” my alertness immediately rises as I make an effort to remember their name, because I know it’s coming. When said in the reverse it’s much too late. My alertness wasn’t there.

For some reason people also tend to mumble more at the beginning of a sentence (my experience during this week), even when it’s the most important part.

#PatientStories