At times, doctors find it challenging to connect with patients. Not connecting with patients can lead to lower patient satisfaction, which can cause your firm to lose patient trust and focus on bettering the lives of your patients. If you’re looking for better ways to connect and gain a patient’s trust, learn the effective ways on how to improve doctor-patient relationships.
Show Patients Empathy and Sympathy
One of the greatest ways to raise a patient’s satisfaction level is to comfort and connect with them on a deeper level. It can be hard, but showing a patient that you genuinely care when delivering a diagnosis helps open doors for patients to become vulnerable, ask questions, and speak their minds. If a patient has difficulty expressing themselves, sympathize with them by sharing your own experiences; get to a more emotional level with patients. You will begin to see trust and patient satisfaction increase.
Don’t Rush Through Appointments
Depending on the day, it can feel like you need to complete every task on your to-do list at once. That’s not the case, so take a deep breath and focus one thing at a time. Remember that the patients at your clinic are top priority; they don’t want to feel rushed when you have back-to-back appointments. Your paperwork isn’t going anywhere, and if your patients have any burning questions, you should allow for open dialogue to provide them the answers they desire.
Always Remain Positive
A diagnosis can negatively affect your patients, but don’t dote on their worries and fears. Help them look past the negative and provide better ways to focus on the positives of the appointment. For example, a patient who has weight problems doesn’t want to hear the life risks of their problems. They don’t need to pile on any more fears to the concerns they’re already experiencing; as their care provider, you need to advocate for helping them live positively and develop better health.
Make Choices as a Team
Strong bonds between doctors and patients stem from communicative decision-making between both parties. When entering an exam room with a patient, it’s imperative to involve the patient as much as possible to develop a suitable treatment plan. At times, it might seem a safer call to make decisions for a patient, but involving a patient can help them understand their options better and allows them to learn more by asking questions. Allowing patients to help create a treatment plan makes them more likely to feel confident and stick to the plan.
Knowing how to improve doctor-patient relationships is key to a successful practice. As your relationship with your patients improves, so will your practice’s dynamic. More patients will become open and want to build a relationship around trust and communication.
