by Paul Batson, O.D. Center Director VisionAmerica of Birmingham I walked into the exam room to a patient with glaring eyes, crossed arms and a frustrated look on his face. I looked at my watch and knew that I wasn't running behind (I was actually a little ahead of schedule.) and was puzzled because he was a new patient coming to me for a second opinion. Everything that he didn't say, immediately said to me that this wasn't going to be easy. There are obviously several different ways any of us could respond to a situation like this. We could ignore it, jump straight on the computer and keep going; we could jokingly say, "Well you look excited to be here"; or we could stop, sit down, look the patient in the face and genuinely inquire "Tell me what's going on?" I have spent a lot of time with our staff over the last year talking about the role empathy plays in the patient experience. We all know that we tend to judge our patient care on outcomes while patients evaluate their care on how they are treated as a person. Part of that treatment involves more than sympathy but actually diving in to put ourselves in the patient's shoes (empathy). As I reflected on this recent patient experience, it made me think about the role of nonverbal communication and the patient experience. Recent research has suggested that as much as 93% of communication is nonverbal. That being said, we should probably put more thought into not only the nonverbal communications that patients provide to us but also take time to consider the nonverbal messages that we are sending. Below are 5 tips on the role nonverbal communication can play in our patient experience. Your mindset matters You aren't going to instantly or magically have better nonverbal communication. You have to be intentional! This starts before you walk in the room with your patient. Think through the scenarios that could be waiting for you. Your patient could be angry, sad, overjoyed, or in a lot of pain. You have to mentally be prepared for all of these potential scenarios before you walk through the door. First impressions count As a doctor, you have a lot going on from the second you step into the office. From scheduling problems to your best technician being out with the flu, you have a million things on your mind. All of these things need to be filed away as you walk into the room with your patient. For the first two-to-three minutes, your patient needs to be the only thing that exists. Once you build rapport, you will likely be on the path to a great visit and potentially a long-lasting patient relationship. Your body language is key You're an eye doctor. You need to make eye contact with your patient. That's not enough, though. You should also hold good posture, keep appropriate interpersonal distance, have your shoulders directed at your patient, and engage them as they speak by leaning forward. These physical behaviors indicate friendliness, openness, and a willingness to engage with your patient. (Yes, they will work with your spouse as well!) Tread lightly on the EMR Yes, many of you use EMR and we understand the need to record everything accurately. But think back to the last time you were at dinner with a friend or family member and were telling a story while they continually checked their phone or glanced off in another direction. Remember that feeling? Well, your patient feels the same way. Communicating with your patient about your use of the EMR is key. Instead of looking away from them in the middle of their sentence, try breaking your EMR usage into large chunks and say something along the lines of, "I am going to make a few quick notes." before looking away from them. Practice makes perfect The issue here isn't that we only have poor body language and short attention spans with our patients. We have it with everyone! These tips can be practiced by anyone at any time. You will only get better as you practice becoming intentional with people and sending the correct nonverbal cues. And in case you were wondering, my original patient situation turned out well. I chose to lay things aside and not jump straight into our EMR system. Instead, I sat face-to-face and spent some time just talking. He knew that I was 100% engaged not only from what I said but also from my body language. Bottom line, he was in pain, was scared and afraid that he was going to lose vision from complications following surgery from another practice in town. I was able to not only help him feel better physically but also emotionally. Treating patients is always more than just treating an eye.
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August 2019
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