Saturday, November 28, 2020

Communication Skills: Dealing With Difficult Patients

Communicating with difficult patients is a challenge for all physicians. Doctors practice patient communication skills beginning as early as the first year of medical school with videotaped mock patient interviews and precipitator feedback to get it right.



The distrusting patient


Yet, there are some patient interactions that can leave even the most emotionally intelligent and well-coached physicians overwhelmed—and sometimes even frightened. It is important that doctors who take care of patients anticipate these types of inevitable interactions in advance and work towards solutions that promote peace of mind for everyone involved. The patient who says, “everybody lies. I know they are hiding something,” can make you feel like you just can’t do or say anything right. When a patient tells you that everyone is out to get them, it can be difficult to decipher whether the patient is inherently skeptical or whether they have been treated with dishonesty.



It helps to lean on teamwork in these situations. Feedback from other members of the healthcare team can help you sort out whether a patient truly was not given complete information at some point during their care or whether they are mistrusting of others without a solid reason.


The exception


As a solution, it helps to suggest resources to your patient—such as online access to their charts so that they can follow their own results. You can also make your medical notes and correspondence regarding their medical care available and accessible to them so that they can follow along and promptly double-check everything that you are doing. When you have a patient who insists that, “my body doesn't work like everyone else's,” or “don't try the same things on me that you use with other people,” you may be in for a tough road.



Each person is unique. Patients’ health can certainly be complicated—computers can’t be programmed to safely take care of real patients because people are individuals and do not function like robots. But, it is a basic cornerstone of medical science that the human body tends to follow physiologic rules. When a patient is allergic to everything or has symptoms that don’t make sense, it can be hard to distinguish between a medically challenging case and a patient whose perceptions don’t match up to reality.



Acknowledging the uniqueness of your patient’s experience can provide them with validation. However, this validation has to be balanced with a reassurance that even exceptional people usually experience improvement with standard medical treatment.


The angry patient


Another strategy that can be useful when taking care of an exceptional patient is to consider getting your patient’s permission to present their case at a conference or as a case report. If your patient feels isolated and unheard, this type of specialized medical “crowdsourcing” can help you and your patient find answers to perplexing questions. When your patient starts your visit with statements like, “I want to get them fired,” or “I want to shut that place down,” it can color your perception of your patient’s medical problems. Even the most intuitive and empathetic doctor or nurse may have trouble differentiating actual medical ailments from health complaints that are exaggerated to get someone into trouble.



And you may be worried about your own professional viability, potentially becoming more concerned about how a patient may try to harm you than about actually helping them. These types of interactions can be exceedingly stressful.


Family conflicts


It is helpful to ask team members to be present at patient visits. Using communication strategies that make your goals clear is another important approach when it comes to working with an angry patient. Saying unambiguous statements such as, “we would like you to describe the change in your pain level because we want you to feel better,” or “we would like to work with you to find the cause and solution to your health problem,” may not seem to flow naturally to you, but being clear and explicit in spelling out the plan can help alleviate anger. Family members are often essential in providing support and care for patients. Yet, sometimes families can impede good patient care. Family members have a long history with each other, and they may have a complicated outlook on your patient’s medical condition.



It can be impossible to really know what is going on between family members who have spent years together when you are only spending about half an hour with them in an outpatient setting or seeing them in their most anxious state for inpatient care or surgery.



When it comes to family conflicts, it is best for physicians to communicate in a straightforward manner and to take things at face value. Doctors who presume that they can brilliantly decipher complex relationship issues within minutes can come across as condescending to patients who have dedicated a lifetime to their family relationships.



It is best to explain that it is customary to seek formal permission when sharing medical information with anyone other than the patient. It is also important to ask privately when asking about sharing information—so your patient can answer honestly. Whenever possible, all medical information should be communicated in a language that is understandable to your patient, not tailored to family members.



For example, if a teenager has an illness, then the language used to explain the diagnosis and treatment should be geared towards the teenager—even if their parents are highly educated or have a medical background and understand more technical terminology.



Communicating with patients is a major strength of many doctors, who truly enjoy the doctor-patient relationship. Yet, once in a while, a challenging, or even dysfunctional patient can make it feel like communication is the most stressful part of that patient’s care. Careful communication, often with the cooperation of other members of the hearth care team, can help avert some of the potential problems that can occur in these situations.


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Tuesday, November 24, 2020

Turning Healthcare Marketing Challenges Into Opportunities

Advertisement saturation


As the New Year approaches, it’s time to review your marketing strategies and think about new ways to get your phone ringing. Some of the best ways to accomplish that include turning challenging situations to your advantage. Challenge: Internet users are bombarded with so many ads that they pay little attention



Opportunity: Most advertisements are low-quality, so it’s not hard to make yours stand out




If you want people to keep coming back to your practice, you look beyond just what you are offering and consider the entire patient experience. Similarly, one of the most important factors that website designers consider is the user experience. That same focus on creating a positive experience is extending to advertising, as digital platforms become more sophisticated. Some of the best techniques to implement include:
  • Targeted advertising — Most platforms allow you to target viewers based on their location, demographics, interests, and other criteria. Make use of these features to not only filter out people unlikely to become patients, but also tailor your materials to a select audience.
  • Retargeting — This is one of the most powerful techniques in digital advertising. It allows you to display advertisements to people who have already visited your website. Well implemented retargeting helps convert leads by providing additional information, reminders, and special offers relevant to what the person already viewed.
  • Adding value — The lines between promotion and product are increasingly blurred. Advertising simply asks people to take action, such as scheduling an appointment or buying a product. From the viewer’s perspective, it’s one-sided, asking without offering anything in return. Today, people want more than just advertisements. For example, content marketing offers education, influencers entertain their audience, and good social media posts are engaging.
  • The rise of corporate healthcare

Challenge: Healthcare is big business, so the small practice is overshadowed by mega-competitors




Opportunity: The personal touch of a small medical practice is a valuable part of your USP (unique selling proposition)




If you own your practice, you are in the minority. Less than one-third of American doctors are self-employed, and that number continues shrinking annually. Unfortunately, the trend of consolidation and corporatization of healthcare isn’t expected to change.



In a field dominated by big companies with big marketing budgets, it can be especially challenging to grow a private practice. However, this situation also gives small practices a distinct advantage in appealing to patients.



Although people have a greater interest in health and wellness than ever before, they tend to have a low opinion of providers. Some of the most common complaints include claims that modern medical offices are impersonal, people are rushed and treated like numbers, they don’t get to see the same doctor every time… In short, corporatization and automation are detracting from the personal aspect of healthcare, and patients miss it.


The importance of external mentions and listings


As a private practice, you almost certainly provide a level of customer service, individual attention, and consistency that is increasingly rare. Make sure your marketing and branding strategies reflect this. The biggest practice might have the advantage when it comes to the marketing budget, but the smallest one has the edge in personalized care.Challenge: A great website isn’t enough; people and search algorithms are placing more importance on external mentions and listings



Opportunity: Diligent attention to acquiring citations and maintaining online profiles can give you a powerful, widespread digital presence




Google’s algorithm uses inbound links, citations, and online mentions (along with many other factors) to evaluate your website’s authority. Therefore, current best practices in medical marketing include adding your practice to various online directories and review sites. You also need to keep basic information such as name, address, and phone number consistent across the internet, and update your profile if anything changes.



Unless you use a third-party service or software to automate the task, it can be daunting to keep up with all the online listings. You might be hoping this will diminish in importance as search engine algorithms evolve. However, that doesn’t seem likely. Furthermore, it’s not just algorithms looking for authority indicators.

Internet users are perpetually looking for faster and more efficient ways to get things done.



Conclusion


Simultaneously, they are increasingly wary of misinformation and misleading advertising. People tend to have their go-to trusted resources. An advertisement, no matter how well-crafted, probably won’t convince people that you can be trusted with their health. However, high placement on Google, good comments on Facebook, listings on WebMD and Healthgrades, and 4.5 stars on Yelp might.Technology, trends, and internet user behavior change quickly. Marketing a medical practice in this ever-changing landscape is challenging. However, those challenges become opportunities when you stay at the forefront of the latest trends, and therefore, a step ahead of your competitors.


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Resources for Finding a Nonclinical Job

Websites, Podcasts, and Social Media


When looking for a nonclinical job, it can be difficult to find direction. There often seem to be many possibilities, but figuring out how to turn your interest in an area such as medical review or health writing into an actual paying job isn’t always straightforward. A number of useful resources can be helpful as your work towards securing a good nonclinical position that utilizes your medical training and compensates you as well as your work in patient care. The most accessible tools you can use in your search for a non-clinical job are free and online. There are a number of websites and blogs that provide tips and job links to help you find a non-clinical position. For example, lookforzebras.com and nonclinicaldoctors.com provide updated job listings and strategies that you should know about when making the transition.



Podcasts like Docs Outside the Box and The Physician Nonclinical Careers are focused on interviews with physicians who have left clinical practice for other professional endeavors. These stories and the voices of the physicians can be inspiring and may also provide you with ideas and steps you can take in your own transition. Another advantage of the podcasts is that when you hear physicians who work in nonclinical arenas discuss their work, you may recognize features of their jobs that are appealing or unattractive to you.



Social media groups can also be good free resources for doctors who want to bounce ideas off peers. Many of these groups are private or closed and state that they only allow verified physicians to join. Group members often share company links and job openings, conferring about salaries and company ethics privately in discussion groups. Doctors can typically post and promote their own ongoing projects and receive feedback from peers. Many of the groups tend to have a positive vibe and an encouraging atmosphere, but it is important to keep in mind that your colleagues from work may also be group members—so posting details about your job or your discontent with your work could have unpleasant repercussions.



Books


These free resources are generally easy to navigate on your own. You can concentrate on your interests and learn about the numerous opportunities available for doctors in the changing healthcare landscape as you independently work towards finding a position that suits you. In general, due to their length and publication criteria, professionally published books offer in depth and evergreen strategies for making a career change. Although they aren’t free, books are typically fairly inexpensive. There are a number of books about nonclinical careers in medicine, such as Leaving the Bedside, published by the American Medical Association. Many of the books about alternative physician career paths are self-published by physician authors who have made the transition themselves, so there is a wide variety when it comes to tone and overall goals of the publications. Some are designed to help you in your soul-searching process as you figure out what you might want to do with your career, some are focused on helping you create a plan of action, and others are written as personal memoirs.



Courses


You might consider the in-depth approach of a book to be more helpful than a website or podcast if you are unsure how to present yourself to companies or how to maximize the advantages of your own work experience to strengthen your application.There are a several courses geared toward physicians who are considering transitioning out of clinical practice. The oldest and most well-established, the SEAK course, provides lectures, networking, and brief coaching sessions. Newer courses, such as the Physicians Helping Physicians workshop, are emerging as well. Courses entail a financial investment that can include the cost of registration, travel, and accommodations. Generally, they do not usually provide CME credits and most physicians’ employers do not reimburse the cost. Thus, doctors who attend these courses typically use personal funds and do so during unpaid vacation time.

Coaches and Recruiters


You might decide that a course is right for you if you would prefer to meet people in person and make connections. You might also prefer the concentrated focus for a few days rather than spreading your job search sporadically over several minutes or hours at a time as you search on your own online. The most personalized type of assistance you can get when transitioning from a patient care job to a nonclinical position is by hiring a career coach or a professional mentor. There are many career coaches that provide services to help you think about what steps you need to take, and some can also help you find jobs to apply to, often guiding you as you put together your CV and cover letter. You will have to pay for the services of a mentor or coach, but you can usually talk with them ahead of time to see if their services and fees align with what you are looking for.



Your Perfect Recipe


Sometimes a corporate recruiter can be helpful as well, but keep in mind that recruiters are generally paid by their client (the company who is looking for an employee) and therefore will not necessarily focus on your needs and will instead focus on their paying client. However, if a recruiter has many clients in the industry that you are looking for, they may present several jobs to you as the positions open.It can be a challenge to find a nonclinical position. The options are not the same for every doctor and the possibilities often vary based on your specialty and level of certification. The more qualified you are, the more likely you are to find a good job on your own. Navigating the process with free resources online is a bit like cooking a dish using a combination of recipes that you found online. Of course, some people prefer cookbooks that also explain more about the ingredients and include some variations on a recipe. And some prefer to learn and work on recipes under the direction of an expert. The financial investment involved in getting help from a coach or a course can pay off in the long run, especially if you want to make a fast transition or if you are looking for someone to guide you along the way.



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In the end, you will ultimately decide on a combination of resources that works best for you.