Tips to Enhance Patient’s Experience When they Visit Your Clinic

Increased waiting time can add to your pressure when you are already delayed. Remember, patients, too, are busy people. Increasing waiting time can add more than frustration to their hectic lives, adding severity to their injury or illness.

Here are a few tips to enhance your patients’ experience when they come to see you.

1. Create a pleasant waiting area

Your practice’s ambience is the first thing that patients feel when they enter your door. Investing in sprucing the waiting area is always appreciated. Replacing outdated reading materials by subscribing to various contemporary publications, and streaming some music or video helps in engaging the patients during the wait time.

2. Provide realistic updates on delays

Make sure that your staff updates the patients or their advocates about the delays or changes in scheduling. This helps the patients to amend their plans or allow them to take care of details like changing their pick up timings etc.

3. Review the patient chart in advance

Briefly review your patient’s charts before they enter your room. This can enable you to start the conversation straight away at a more informed level.

4. Be patient

Increased waiting time can make you and even your patients feel rushed. Hurrying can make you impatient which is usually manifested by interrupting, finishing people’s sentences, sighing, or ceasing to listen. Avoid these pitfalls to have a good doctor-patient relationship and find the patience to hear people out.

5. Confirm their comprehension

Most of the patients pretend to understand during your conversation, even when they don’t have a clue about what you’re saying. Even if they understand, they can easily forget once they leave your office. Clarify that they have a firm grasp of all the details you have spoken. Share any written material or website recommendations if any for a backup.

Instead of testing your patients’ patience follow these tips and honour them by making their wait worthwhile.