How to Improve a Doctor/ Patient Relationship

A good doctor-to-patient relationship has numerous benefits, including better diagnostic accuracy, increased compliance with treatment plans and higher patient satisfaction. Establishing a solid doctor-patient relationship is precious, though it can be challenging. This article is an excellent resource to help you with that as it discusses some of the best ways to improve the physician-patient relationship.

1. Listen to Your Patients Actively and Completely

Patients want to be heard and understood. And this is a pretty simple concept, but it is often missed when doctors lack patience. If you want to improve the patient-doctor relationship and help your patients, you need to listen to what they tell you as it reflects how they feel.

A physician should employ active listening to help ease the anxiety patients experience since they are worried about their well-being. Evaluate your body language, avoid standing over your patients and make eye contact with them to be an active listener. Let the patient know you are making notes to assure them you are listening and try not to interrupt them as they speak.

2. Demonstrate Empathy and Sympathy

One of the most critical ways to connect with the patient is by demonstrating empathy and sympathy for the patients. This will help you build trust between you and your patient. Patients want to feel that you care about them and their well-being. This means you must show them compassion.

Share your story if you have had a relatable personal experience. This is one of the most important things you can do to improve your patient-doctor relationship and increase their overall satisfaction level. It will help the patient feel more connected to you and know that you understand how they feel.

3. Practice Shared Decision Making

Doctors must work with their patients to develop the best treatment plan. Patients want to feel like they are making a choice in their healthcare rather than feeling like their doctor has a lot of power over them. So, if you involve them in making the decision, you will have a better patient-doctor relationship and even improve your medical practice in the long run.

Suppose you need to meet your patient frequently for treatments such as therapy sessions, allow them to contribute on the days and times you are to meet by suggesting the days and times favorable for them. This will help them smoothly fit the sessions into their daily schedules. When you allow your patients to actively participate in the decision-making process, they feel more in control and there is a high probability that they will stick to their treatment plan, which can lead to improved results.

4. Recognize Cultural Differences

We all know that some cultures have very different ways of approaching medical treatment than others. For instance, some cultures may restrict going to doctors for specific procedures. Physicians must consider that each culture has its perspectives and that the perspectives might be very different.

When communicating with your patients, adjust how you interact with patients based on their cultural norms. Do not assume the patient’s culture and let them know you have considered their values and beliefs during the engagement to build a rapport. The patient will feel respected and appreciated hence free to state their problems and follow the treatment plan.

5. Focus on the Positive

Sometimes doctors may be forced to convey difficult messages regarding the patient’s health. When a diagnosis is conducted and tests come back negative, the physician must pass this message to the patient. This is especially difficult as the message may deeply impact the patient and the loved ones. Physicians should focus on the positive and refrain from responding negatively because of the patient’s situation.

Incorporating patient engagement solutions is one of the best ways to get through to patients to build and nurture your relationship. If a lifestyle change is part of a patient’s treatment, concentrate on the benefits or the alterations, such as improving the quality of the patient’s life. Approach the patient as an advocate showing concern about their health. This will make your patients more open to your recommendations, causing better compliance.

Conclusion

Patient-doctor relationships are extremely important because they help physicians create trust essential for building a genuine long-term relationship with the patients. This helps the patient open up to their doctor’s suggestions and create a better atmosphere for healing and recovery. Follow the above tips to improve your doctor-patient relationship to help you offer excellent health care services.