Posted by Kristin Baird
Whenever we do patient experience skills training with physicians, inevitably one of them will say, “I learned this in medical school. Tell me something I don’t know.” Here’s the thing; knowing is not doing, and hearing is not learning. You must engage.
The last provider to say this during a training had scores in the tenth percentile for patient satisfaction. He was in search of the silver bullet and actually said, “Just tell me the one thing – the one thing that I should do to get my scores up.”
The Patient Experience
It’s often difficult for anyone working in healthcare to recognize that patient experience solutions are very often simple, they’re just not always easy. Take engagement behaviors for example. To engage with a patient, it is important to use their name, make eye contact at eye level. Smile and recap something they know about the patient or find something on which to relate. Simple, but not always easy when you are going from room to room, person to person, and sometimes crisis to crisis.
There are dozens of things happening every moment that compete for your time and attention. Creating a consistently positive patient experience requires persistence and consistence. It takes mindfulness and the ability to stay present and in the moment.
Chances are good that you know what to do. The challenge is in doing it and doing it consistently.
- The Present is the Prize
- Power moves improve the patient experience
- Engaged Nurses – The Secret to a Great Patient Experience
- Knowing Vs. Doing
- Training Alone Won’t Guarantee a Great Patient Experience
