PLX Academy · Personal Experience · 08 April 2022
Patient Satisfaction.
The effective correlation between physician and patient is a basic medical process. The physician’s ability to communicate friendly with his patient is considered to be the most important part of medical art and it is necessary for the physician to learn this ability. In most cases the healing effect of the patient’s reliance on the physician is more important than the recommended drug.
Communication skills comprise all types of communication. These include verbal, non-verbal and written communication. A good balance of all these skills would help you satisfy patients even more. Sometimes even showing the correct body language or just listening to them attentively can go a long way in winning their hearts. In addition, physicians’ communication skills require three main types of communication. These include- active listening, empathy and the use of open questions to explore a patient’s background. These skills lead to an increase in patient involvement. It also improves adherence to recommended therapy and improving the quality of care.
When the patient is referring to the doctor’s, no one is as informed as the patient about his/her health and physical situation. If the physician has enough skill to communicate with their patient, they could get necessary information about the physical and mental situation of the patient. As a result, they could select the most suitable method of treatment. Active listening and empathy go hand in hand. You can only show empathy when you listen actively. This whole process will make your patients more comfortable around you. Thus, when they are comfortable enough, it becomes easy for them to answer the open questions.
On the other hand, there is also the time when the physician needs to deliver bad news, which can be very challenging. Again, relationship building is significant for this. They must understand the patient’s perspective, knowledge and expectations. Physicians should not leave any room for miscommunication. They should instead focus on making their relationship with patients stronger. Also, patients often regard their physicians as a source of psychological support. Conveying empathy as a physician is one of the best ways to provide this support. In addition, it helps to reduce feelings of isolation.
According to Mayo Clinic’s research output, most medical schools and residency programs have incorporated patient-physician’s communication skills in their curriculum. Similar opportunities to improve communication skills are available for practicing physicians. There are numerous tools that can be readily incorporated to improve the quality of patient physician communication.
Regarding the positive results of skillful communication behavior on patients’ satisfactions, the hospitals should provide the adequate facilities for training and learning of communication skills among physicians regularly.