Tips for becoming a popular Doctor (continued)

The biggest tip for becoming a popular Doctor among your patients is here. Now we will discuss the other reasons why some Doctors are more liked by their patients than others. These are the habits we all should adopt. Again, there is a difference between a “Good Doctor” and a “Good Clinician”. Most physicians know art of medicine well, and more or less practice it well.  No physician ever has ill intention towards their patients. All physicians want their patients to get well. And they all care for their patients. But some show it, others don’t. Those who do show care are rare. They are also usually the most popular docs in town. So here we go with the list.

1) LISTEN TO YOUR PATIENTS: Click here to read it in detail.

2) LET THEM KNOW YOU CARE: Your patients are like your extended family. Once they get medications from you, all they want to make sure is that you really care about them. That reassures them that you have given them the best treatment in the world. How do you do it? Your Body language, Eye contact, a pat on the shoulder, the tone of your voice all are cues which patients rely on.

3) BE FRIENDLY: How do we become popular among our colleagues? When we are friendly to them!  Same way, if you are friendly to your patients, they will like you more than the other MD, who does not even smile at them. Some of the cues to be a friendly doc is: smiling, enquiring about their recent travel etc.

4) HUSH THE RUSH: We all are running at the speed of light everyday. We are whizzing into the hospital, patient rooms, clinics, meetings and more. But caution: Never ever appear rushed in front of a patient. There is virtually no difference in the amount of time you will spend with a patient whether you show your lack of time or hide it. A relaxed demeanor in the examination room is important. Moment you step out, you can again jump into your race shoes,  but do not do it, in front of your patients.

5) SIT AND TALK: Sure we all have heard about that research in which patients perceived the physician, who sat and talked, spent more time with them than the one who stood and conversed. This is why body language is very important.

6) RESPECT YOUR PATIENTS: We all see our patients when they are sick, most of the time. You will be surprised how capable these people are when they are not sick. Many are retired, but we have no clue how much they achieved when they were working. Give them respect for who they are, and you will get the respect back.

All these above pointers lead to a more satisfied patient. They will be loyal to you and that will benefit your practice, as we discussed before, Click here to read it again