Good communication is fundamental to the very essence of healing. When you have good communication with your patients, you can be sure that your recovery will proceed at a much faster rate, and you will see more effective results in your patients. However, if you have poor communication with your patients, it can slow down your healing and put your patients at risk. This is why both you and your patient must be on the same page regarding communication. HCAHPS Scores It doesn’t matter if you are working as a team or not; everyone should be on the same page with their communication efforts.
The first step in communicating with your patients is to establish a good relationship with them. It would help if you found a good rapport with your patients to develop trust between you. When trust exists, your patient’s problems and concerns will also be addressed. All the while, you create an environment that allows your patient’s flow of energy to flow throughout the room rather than being restricted to a particular area of the room where you set up your appointments and leave your patient alone.
One of the essential tools you can use in communicating effectively with your patients is to create an environment where your patient feels comfortable enough to express their thoughts and feelings without feeling self-conscious or insecure. This can be done through having appropriate lighting in the room, making sure that there are no distractions anywhere near the patient, making your office smell pleasant, having music playing softly in the background, and having an air of comfort and security in the room. By creating this environment, you allow your patient’s energy flow to move throughout the space and not be held back. If your patient feels at ease, they will be more willing to open up to you and talk about their concerns and fears.
Another tool you have in creating good communication with your patients is making sure that you stay on topic. When you go into each appointment with an open mind and listening to what your patient has to say, you will be able to answer their questions and put them at ease. It is okay to change the discussion topic or even ask questions during the consultation if you feel like the flow isn’t connecting. Remember that you want to listen and understand what your patient is saying, but you also want to keep them on track and focused on the appointment at hand.
During the consultation itself, if you find that the patient isn’t getting along or if there is some confusion, it’s time to take control and get things back under control. Even if you are trying to be sensitive during the communication, there should still be some boundaries set. You are simply asking the patient how they feel or whether they feel pain would be good boundaries to set. You shouldn’t take their feelings for granted and don’t let them get the “go” from you if they are not in agreement. This is the same thing as giving instructions and directions and having a clear plan of action or dealing with situations.
Lastly, make sure you keep the office atmosphere clean. If everyone smells a bit like urine or has a foul odor, it can create problems. This will also develop a lack of focus and make it difficult for people to remain engaged in the treatment. And this may be difficult to accomplish when everyone around smelled like they just came out of a litter box. Setting up a sound communication system between the physician and the patient is critical to ensure that the patient is happy and so glad.