By Mark Wright, OD, FCOVD,
and Carole Burns, OD, FCOVD
July 12, 2017
Health-care providers can easily fall short of patient expectations. Health-care career web site Health eCareers has published a list of the top characteristics it has found that patients want to recognize in their doctors. High on the list: ability to effectively communicate, ability to empathize and an evident love of being a doctor.
Here is the complete list of traits that most patients want in their health care professional.
1) Communication
2) Empathy
3) Passion
4) Forthrightness
5) Professional
6) Respectful
7) Knowledgeable
8) Thorough
This list should be reviewed by both doctors and staff members in your practice.
How many of these traits are represented in your interactions with patients every day? Take an honest look at the following statements to determine areas that may need attention.
COMMUNICATION
o I’ve been trained in and engage in active listening with every patient I see.
o I always ask patients to repeat back to me their understanding of what I’m asking them to do.
EMPATHY
o I understand the differences between sympathy and empathy.
o I demonstrate empathy with every patient I see.
PASSION
o I care deeply about helping others.
o I treat every patient the way I want to be treated.
o I care deeply about the practice.
FORTHRIGHTNESS
o In every situation, I explain all the facts of the patient’s case in layman’s terms.
o I do not hold information back from a patient because I don’t think they can afford the solution.
PROFESSIONAL
o I always act with appropriate demeanor and respect.
o I never talk negatively about another health care professional.
o I always put the patient’s well-being above my own self-interests
RESPECTFUL
o I always talk to patients in simple language so that they’re not made to feel inferior or overwhelmed with medical jargon.
o I never make statements like “the glaucoma patient is in room 2.” Instead, I always treat patients like an individual, and not just another medical problem.
KNOWLEDGEABLE
o I know and deal with my limitations. I am not afraid to admit when I don’t know something, and will either research it or arrange a consult with a more qualified professional.
o I spend time every year trying to improve my mastery of my job.
THOROUGH
o I provide the highest level of care possible with every patient using the most current technology available.
o I treat the patient, as well as the presenting problem, by paying attention to details.
So how did you do? Did you find areas that need attention? If so, then take this week to work on those areas and become a better eyecare professional. If you did not find any areas that need attention, give this list to someone you trust and ask them to evaluate you. No one is perfect. Everyone can improve.
Schedule another review of this article at least once a year. Schedule that review now by putting it in your calendar while you are thinking of it. Our goal should be to always improve our ability to help our patients to have a higher quality of life. We do that by making sure we are continually getting better at being the health-care professionals that our patients want us to be.
