Doctor-patient relationship

You look at your schedule and you’re starting your day thirty minutes behind. Don’t take that out on your patients. They deserve your attention when you enter the room. When you walk in, ask the patient and assistant if there are any problems that they need to discuss.  Even though at times you may spend the shortest amount of time with patients your time spent with them will determine how they feel about the office at upcoming visits.

The reputation of the office rests on the doctor’s shoulders to some extent. If the patient has a fanstic visit and then you enter in a rush, explain what you see over the patients shoulder to the assistant, you are isolating the patient.  They want to know you are interested in them as a person not just a patient. Learning what type of communicator they are, can also increase the overall experience for the patient because you can communicate their needs and adjust as you need. It is important you also know who your patients are as people, for example, do they have grandkids, are they frearful of needles? These details can help the dental visit run more smoothly for the patient.

When the visit is over, although, you may not be able to walk the patient out becaue you will need to move to another patient, it is suggested you say thank you for their time. Also, if you were running late, a simple, thank you for waiting is a great way to set you apart from another office.