10 Things Healthcare Providers Want Patients to Know
Trust plays a pivotal role in physician-patient relationships. There’s proof: trustful relationships are associated with increased transparency, patient adherence, satisfaction, and, ultimately, better health outcomes.
Honesty is at the heart of this trust. Doctors can’t adequately treat patients who aren’t honest about their health and lifestyle. Patients certainly don’t want a healthcare provider who lacks transparency in diagnoses and care plans.
Physicians and other providers might not openly share their opinions about the healthcare system with every patient. However, many healthcare professionals wish more patients were aware of some common truths and recommendations. Here are 10 of them.
1. Patients are vital players on the healthcare team.
“I wish patients would know that their health is about teamwork. Doctors can’t fix them, and they can’t avoid all diseases in life, but if we work together with open, honest communication, we can alleviate a lot of the problems in life. You can neither take all the responsibility yourself nor give all the responsibility to your doctor. You really need the relationship to make it work.”
Michael Greenberg, M.D., Dermatologist
Illinois Dermatology Institute
2. We don’t make you wait on purpose.
“We attempt to stay within each patient’s appointment time slot, but unfortunately, with our many job requirements and desire to make each patient feel heard, we can become behind schedule.”
Jordan Priest, DNP, FNP-BC, Family Medicine Specialist
Phelps Health
3. Ask how to be healthy, but know the answer is complicated.
“It’s a great question, but the answer is not as simple as you would think. Every person is in a distinct point in life where health can be defined and prioritized differently…Remember that health is a spectrum. Depending on where you are in your life, your health goals will be different. Your physician can work with you to create a personalized plan that will help you achieve your goals in a healthy, responsible way.”
Kevin P. Most, D.O., Chief Medical Officer, Senior V.P. of Medical Affairs
Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital
4. Staff shortages are taking a toll.
“Workforce shortages have hit health care hard – not just doctors, but registered nurses, rooming staff like medical assistants and licensed practical nurses, even front desk staff…This is from a combination of relatively low pay in some of these jobs to high work demands for all of these roles. In addition, the more staff that are lost, the more demands fall on the remaining staff—it’s a vicious cycle. This is not unique to healthcare but still a major issue.”
James Jerzak, M.D., Family Medicine Physician
Bellin Health
5. Love me and my staff.
“The only thing that bothers me is when patients are late or are rude to my office staff, who are trying their best to care for many patients at once. And I usually am intolerant of such behavior.”
Diana Bitner, M.D., MSCP, FACOG, Chief Medical Officer, Co-Founder
true. Women’s Health
6. Don’t ignore sudden symptoms.
“If you experience something like severe chest pain or paralysis of a body part, come to the E.R. immediately. I understand that there’s going to be medical costs and the time in the emergency room, but those shouldn’t preclude you from saving your own life.”
Adaira Landry, M.D. M.Ed., Emergency Physician
Brigham and Women’s Hospital
7. Sometimes, there isn’t one diagnosis.
“I know they say medicine is an art, but I wish they would say that medicine isn’t a math problem. We can do all the testing and diagnosing. Sometimes there isn’t a straightforward answer. It doesn’t mean we don’t know anything. Sometimes there is more than one answer.”
Emily Stanford, D.O., Hospitalist
Hartford HealthCare
8. Getting a second opinion is OK.
“A second opinion may be warranted in a patient who needs a big surgery. In family medicine, we appreciate the collaboration with specialists who can provide patients with second opinions.”
Stilianos Efstratiadis, MD, FACC, FSCAI, Interventional Cardiologist
Phelps Health
9. Lose the keyboard.
“Stop surfing the Internet for health information – most of that stuff is wrong!”
Deepak L. Bhatt, M.D., MPH, MBA, Director
Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital
10. Keep the lines of communication open.
“To improve communication with your care team:
- Adjust your phone settings to allow calls from blocked numbers, such as your doctor’s cell phone or the office’s main line.
- Change your voicemail greeting to your own voice recording so healthcare staff will know when they have reached your phone and can leave a brief message.
- Make sure your physician’s office has cell phone numbers and email addresses for you and your caregivers.”
Erin Dunbar, M.D., Director of Neuro-Oncology
Piedmont Atlanta Hospital
Dr. Dunbar is spot on. As we outlined in a recent blog, effective communication in healthcare provides numerous benefits, ranging from improved staff teamwork and collaboration to fewer patient complaints, lower care costs, and reduced stress and burnout for clinicians.
At RingRx, our HIPAA-compliant voice over internet protocol (VoIP) phone system enables healthcare practices of all sizes to bolster communication between physicians and patients. Schedule a demo today to learn more!
