We've been here before. The day after what felt like the forecast of a major snow event in central and north Alabama, we were only left with angry parents and business owners and empty grocery shelves. What was missing? Snow. If you watched the "James Spann Reads Mean Tweets - 2019 Edition" on YouTube, you saw that many in the state didn't handle the lack of snowfall very well. What causes us to react this way when we feel mislead? Because, for better or for worse, we trust the weatherman. As eye doctors, it probably isn't hard to think back to a time when we felt we thoroughly explained the outcome of a procedure or product to a patient only for them to end up angry when their expectations didn't meet reality. Mr. Spann and other local meteorologists predicted the possibility of one-to-two inches of snow for central and north Alabama.
Per the norm in our state, we basically shut everything down and battened down the hatches in preparation for a blizzard. Here is the disclaimer Mr. Spann posted alongside his prediction: REMEMBER: Not everyone in a winter storm warning will get a lot of snow. Some will get nothing at all. Snow never follows state and county lines like we show on accumulation maps, they are simply a guideline. And, the volume of social media posts about snow is not necessarily directly proportional to the amount of snow we're actually going to get. It seems like the more people are talking about it, the worse it's going to be, but that is not always the case. Imagine how our meteorologists felt when the forecast "missed" and only a few areas were sprinkled with .25 inches of snow. The uproar of Alabama residents online was a sight to behold! Much like we experience on a daily basis in our practices, local meteorologists were quickly reminded that the general public has very high expectations. But the question for us is simple: What can we learn from a missed Alabama snow forecast? Let's take a closer look at our practices and a few things we can do to manage the expectations of our patients and improve their experiences. Listen Simply stated, you can't manage a patient's expectations if you don't know what they are. The best way to guarantee your patient has a quality experience in your practice is to understand what they know and what is important to them with regard to their treatment. Yes, you are the expert in the room, but hearing what is important to the patient allows you to use your expertise and find the best option to meet their expectations. This kills two birds with one stone in that it gives you key insight into what the patient values and it makes them feel like you truly care, which will have a huge positive impact on their visit. Being a good listener takes practice and we must often force ourselves to hold back when we want to interject. Perfecting the art of listening will make us better doctors and set us up for success when it's time to communicate with our patients. Over Communicate with Patients When Mr. Spann says it's going to snow, the people of Alabama believe it. Sure, we may claim that we knew it wasn't going to snow after the forecast goes bust, but the fact that he said it on the news and social media adds weight to the possibility. He is offering his expert opinion based on what he sees and what information he has. This is all it takes to set high expectations. It works the same way in our practice because, regardless of reported statistics, patients still trust doctors and it is this trust in us that also triggers strong emotions when things don't go as expected. Trust is the foundation of the doctor-patient relationship and the best way to guard it is through heavy communication. In the case of our recent snow forecast, it turns out that the paragraph disclaimer simply wasn't enough. While we can't be certain that any measure of communication could prepare the crazed Alabama residents for a failed snow forecast, it is probably worth a try. Why do people get so angry with the forecast misses? Because we don't understand the weather! Communication between doctors, their staff, their peers, and their patients must be thorough in order to close the gap between the patient's expectations and reality. This is always important, but never more so than when things go wrong. Proactively Handle "Mistakes" A conversation becomes emotionally charged when a patient's expectations aren't met. How you and your staff react in these moments will dictate what happens next. Often, an unexpected reality has caused the patient to forget the discussion that happened prior to new contacts, glasses, or the procedure and they simply need to be reminded. But how you go about facilitating this conversation can be the difference between a great review online and a lost patient. Once again, listening to your patient's verbal and non-verbal communication will help you understand how they are feeling. As you show signs of empathy, point the patient back to the thorough conversation you had prior to the new product or procedure and ask them how they would like to proceed. While this may seem like an oversimplified approach, patients do not forget their doctor truly listening and providing thorough communication. However, if a true mistake was made, owning it on behalf of your practice and correcting the mistake is clearly the right thing to do. Conclusion While it may work in the news industry, making a video of mean or rude things patients have said is probably a bad idea for doctors. Instead, our goal should be focusing on the quality of communication we have with our patients. The old phrase "under-promise and over-deliver" certainly applies here! This means more listening and being thorough with our explanations on products, procedures, and their outcomes. These two things alone will go a long way toward meeting expectations and growing our practices.
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AuthorThe staff and doctors at VisionAmerica are committed to providing relevant information for you, your patients and your practice. We hope you find the information in our blog post helpful. Archives
August 2019
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