As a board-certified anesthesiologist and founder of Technical Anesthesia Strategies and Solutions, Stanford Plavin consistently speaks to how healthcare entities can improve their processes to achieve success in the field.
While Dr. Plavin notes that there are a wide variety of solutions that can be utilized to maximize the patient experience and healthcare outcomes, he recognizes that these processes must be built on a pre-existing dedication to quality service. For most healthcare entities, this starts with evaluating interactions within the practice to make the steps necessary to improve doctor-patient relationships.
Here, Stanford Plavin explores a few methods that healthcare institutions can use to improve doctor-patient relationships to improve patient retention, health outcomes, and show their commitment to high-quality patient care.
The Importance of Strong Doctor-Patient Relationships
The importance of quality doctor-patient relationships has been a long discussed topic within the medical field for a variety of reasons. Notably, experts realize that there is a strong correlation between physician-patient communication and factors such as increased patient satisfaction, a more wholistic understanding of conditions and treatment options, adherence to treatment plans, and more. This can have a profound impact on patients’ overall health and wellness over time.
Through his experience within the healthcare sector, Stanford Plavin maintains that patients want to feel comfortable and supported by their healthcare providers. Patients who have developed a rapport with their doctors are much more likely to promptly seek out treatment should anything come up and will often take the advice of their healthcare provider more seriously.
How Can Healthcare Providers Show Their Commitment to Improving Relationships?
The most powerful tool for showing a commitment to improving doctor-patient relationships is self-awareness and impartiality. To Stanford Plavin, this means evaluating the healthcare experience through the patient’s lens and utilizing your findings to streamline your current patient service processes.
Even the most renowned and successful institutions can struggle with this as professionals can become attached to their current processes. In a constantly evolving sector such as healthcare, however, there is a responsibility to make changes when necessary, and Stanford maintains that this can be done using a few simple methods.
Work on Bedside Manner
Most of us can recall an experience with a healthcare provider where their bedside manner left something to be desired. This can have a negative impact on the overall experience and can easily lead to patients looking elsewhere for their healthcare needs.
Stanford Plavin notes that demonstrating sympathy and empathy in your practice can go a long way towards improving doctor-patient relationships. Physicians should acknowledge that bedside manner is critical to overall care, especially if a patient is receiving a diagnosis or bad news pertaining to their health.
Luckily for healthcare institutions and the patients they serve, working to ensure that bedside manner is high-quality can be simple. One of the most critical components is the delivery. Dr. Plavin realizes that, given the nature of their job, physicians often become accustomed to delivering bad news to patients and it can impact the way they present the information. Physicians can combat becoming desensitized to this aspect of the job by considering how they would feel were they in the patient’s shoes.
Stanford also maintains that a crucial component of bedside manner is the follow up. Physicians should encourage their patients to ask pertinent questions, voice their concerns, and grow their knowledge of effective treatment options. Not only will this develop a rapport that leads to a strong doctor-patient relationship, but it will play a vital role in their willingness to adhere to recommendations as well.
Practice Active Listening with Patients
One of the most common complaints patients have towards their healthcare providers is feeling as though they are not being heard by their doctors. Naturally, patients want to feel as though their thoughts, feelings, and opinions matter, and a dedication to active listening can effectively lower their anxieties surrounding care.
The potential fallout of failing to listen well to patients has been well documented by experts. Stanford Plavin maintains that patients who do not feel listened to may avoid future health checks, especially if their pain or emerging symptoms were not properly addressed by their last provider.
Dr. Plavin acknowledges that there are a multitude of ways that doctors can improve their relationships with patients through active listening. Steps such as not interrupting patients as they speak, giving undivided attention to patients during critical moments, and being mindful of body language can be extremely effective for helping patients feel heard.
Be Willing to Adapt
All patients are different in terms of what they need from a medical provider. A willingness to adapt and ensure that each patient receives the quality care that they deserve is a great way to improve existing doctor-patient relationships as well as forge new ones.
To Stanford Plavin, a willingness to adapt to the challenges of providing the best care possible for patients is a crucial step in developing rapport. Healthcare is continuously involving both in terms of treatment and best practices, necessitating that providers frequently evaluate their existing methods to make changes.
Dr. Plavin also realizes that a dedication to adapting can prevent complacency from setting in within healthcare institutions. When healthcare professionals acknowledge that there is always something new to learn as it pertains to developing rapport with patients and tending to their needs, it can ensure that their passion for quality care remains high. Patients want to see professionals who are invigorated by their careers, and the patients of passionate healthcare professionals typically boast strong outcomes.
Take Feedback to Streamline Existing Processes
Taking and properly utilizing feedback as a means to improve doctor-patient relationships plays a vital role in streamlining processes. Dr. Plavin speaks to how to how surveys can be an effective way to better understand the needs of patients and evaluate your processes as a healthcare provider. Feedback empowers facilities to evaluate their consistency and impact. If similar concerns are voiced by a variety of patients, it can prove that there is room to grow and make improvements.
Stanford Plavin realizes through his own experience running a successful healthcare solutions company that the most sought after medical providers are typically held in high regard because of their profound interest in streamlining processes for physicians, staff, and patients. By showing a dedication to learning and evolving as more best practices for client care are discussed, evaluated, and implemented, providers are well on their way to reaching their goals of better health outcomes for their patients.
