None of us wants to believe that we are the roadblocks to innovation and change, yet there are so many times when I hear leaders shoot down opportunities for growth and innovation with one simple sentence. Take your pick of these most common squelchers, including: Read more...
- It won’t work!
- We tried that once back in…
- They won’t approve. (The we/they thing is always a clue to filter.)
- That will never fly here!
- You don’t understand. We’re different. (Healthcare suffers from terminal uniqueness, including one doctor’s patients being sicker than all others, one hospital having unique issues with running 24/7, and—my personal favorite—only angry patients fill out satisfaction surveys.)
This is my second blog chronicling one patient’s experience during her 6-week journey with a health care organization. In my last blog post, I talked about words that wound, words that work, and words that WOW. Even the most well-intentioned caregivers can say things that leave a patient feeling uneasy if not frightened. Elizabeth’s next encounter reinforces just how important it is for health care workers at all levels of the organization to filter their statements through the ears of their patients.
Elizabeth: Read more...
During focus groups, I often ask patients what makes them feel confident in a healthcare organization or provider. It’s no surprise to me that their responses have little to do with credentials and a lot to do with behaviors and statements made by staff and providers.
Patients usually tell me that they want to feel respected, valued, informed, and included in decisions about their care. The things that instill confidence in provider competence usually come down to how well they communicate with the patient both verbally and non-verbally. Read more...
In the last few days, I’ve had two great experiences with my own healthcare that I just had to pass along. One was with my own medical care, the other with my mother. Mine was routine, but my mother’s was emergent. The common denominators were that in both situations the caregivers demonstrated behaviors that helped to increase trust and confidence. As I reflected on both of the situations, I started with the end. I walked away from both feeling confident, reassured, and informed. Healthcare is the business of trust. Everything that patients experience should build trust in the providers and the organization. Here is how I would dissect the experiences into trust-building behaviors: Read more...
I recently brought my 83-year-old mother in for oral surgery. No one looks forward to oral surgery, and my mom was no exception. It’s one of those necessary evils that you just have to make it through. The day of her surgery was my second visit to the oral surgeon’s office, and I left both encounters feeling impressed, confident, and grateful for the compassionate, respectful care. Read more...
