It’s human nature to bristle when someone is rude to you. Despite efforts to maintain a professional veneer, rudeness can impact how people respond — even professionals who witness discourteous behavior all the time. This may be evident when a customer service representative stops being helpful, or when a referee seems to call more fouls against the team supported by an insolent player, coach or even fan.
One might assume that physicians would be above this sort of reactionary behavior, but apparently not, according to a recent study led by a professor at the University of Florida. Human nature is human nature, and being rude in an effort to get our way is not always as effective as some might think.
In the study, the researchers wanted to find out how doctors respond when patients (or their advocates) are rude to them. The study discovered that rudeness can actually affect doctors enough to interfere with their cognitive functioning without them realizing it. In fact, doctors who endured rudeness performed consistently poorly across all 11 measures compared to a control group (who did not experience rudeness from patients). The study’s measures included diagnostic accuracy, information sharing, therapy plan and communication. Furthermore, these negative impacts can last all day long — so people shouldn’t think they can be rude in the morning and expect all to be forgotten when their doctors make hospital rounds in the evening.
Regardless of how we feel when seeing a doctor, it’s worth keeping our agitation in check. Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that medical errors rank as the third-leading cause of death in the United States — and rudeness accounts for more than 40 percent of medical errors, the study found.
Planning to live out your life at home requires just that: planning. That means making adjustments that can make your life easier, even if they’re less attractive and present a constant reminder that you’re getting older. However, once you get used to them you’ll bare notice the eyesore — but you will begin to appreciate how much they help you function and remain in your own home. Here are some ideas:
Some high school students painstakingly work to perfect their college applications and essays with the dream of going to the best school possible, for the best life possible. Others may not have to try as hard to achieve that goal. New data shows that the family you are born into has a significant impact on what college you get into and even your earning potential in the future.
The Earned Income Tax Credit, or EITC, is a federal income tax credit for workers whose annual income is $53,505 or less (2016), depending on marital status and number of eligible dependents. There are other eligibility limits, such as the requirement that investment income be $3,400 or less for the year. This refundable credit can reduce taxes up to $6,269 and is available to all workers who meet eligibility requirements.
In recent years, inflation in the United States has remained below the Federal Reserve Bank’s target rate of 2 percent, despite the agency’s efforts to jumpstart economic growth with low interest rates. However, the election of Donald Trump infused the markets with the spark they needed. After an initial drop attributed to uncertainty, the stock market responded with outperformance in the weeks following the election results. Part of this response was in anticipation of the Trump administration’s promises for changes in fiscal policy, such as tax cuts and larger investment in the country’s infrastructure — which could involve issuing new debt.
You often hear about near death experiences. Someone crossing the street nearly gets hit by a car and later recalls that his life “flashed before his eyes.” What does that mean and how does it happen?