Best Practices for Medical Office Communication with Patients

Medical personnel have a wide range of responsibilities apart from treating patients. Communication is among the most important parts of their job, and it is also essential to patients’ overall care and well-being. 

Learning how to communicate with a patient and understand their needs will allow you to give them the necessary care they need. This is why most schools incorporate communication skills into their medical curriculum, including verbal and nonverbal communication. Click here to learn more about the roles and responsibilities of healthcare professionals.

The main idea of these communication skills is to create a comfortable environment and atmosphere for patients to open up and talk about their issues and for the medical practitioner to effectively talk to them calmly and nicely so they won’t freak them out. Even bad news is supposed to be communicated positively. Now, look at some best practices for office communication with patients. 

Be attentive

Listening attentively and focusing all your attention on your patients is a great way to develop some rapport and trust and have a meaningful discussion about possible treatment strategies. 

Ask open questions

Always begin with an open question, such as are you sleeping well? Even if they sleep well, this question will open a room for them to talk about what’s in their mind and be relaxed and receptive towards other topics you will discuss later. 

Summarize throughout

Summarize what your patient is talking about, not just at the end of the consultation but from beginning to end. Ask them whether you correctly understood what they are saying after recapping what they said. This will show that you cared and gave them attentive listening ears. 

Involve friends and family

If your patient is in a more complex situation, ensure they have their peers with them unless they want to have some privacy. Being alone will put them under stress, and some patients, when found in this situation, tend to forget what needs to be said, so having family or friends around can help them reflect on the issue and explore more options. 

Use the right tone

Use simple and concise language to talk to them; non-verbal communication is as important as verbal communication. Express warmth and empathy so the patient can easily open up. Visit https://www.helpguide.org/articles/relationships-communication/nonverbal-communication.htm to learn more about non-verbal communication.

Get help from colleagues

Use a multidisciplinary approach to overcome communication barriers. For example, heart failure specialists are fantastic at patient education, and some medical doctors from other departments usually enlist their help by introducing their patients to these specialists. Moreover, this will give the patients the option of having someone else to talk to. 

Talking to patients of all ages 

Regardless of their ages, patients need to be talked to in an empathetic, caring, and understanding tone. Find more information on how to communicate with patients that will express the care and knowledge needed to address their conditions. Medical practitioners speak with patients of all ages, types, genders, and needs. One time, you may work with a baby.

Other times, you will need to communicate with a non-English-speaking individual. Attending to every patient with the same communication skills is essential. However, how you communicate with them will differ depending on age. For example, how you speak to a child will be different from how you talk to an elderly patient. 

Take a personal approach with every patient. Making some small talk to engage your patient in a meaningful interaction is worth the attention. NOTE: You should never pry into your patients’ personal lives unless they allow you to. Regardless, do so mildly. 

Talking with pediatric patients

Some kids are generally difficult to handle. You need to show care for all toddlers, babies, and children. Still, some children are surprisingly easy to work with, and some will come to your office screaming. Speak with a child in a way they will understand. Avoid using any expression or terminologies that may frighten or shock them. 

For instance, rather than saying the word ‘needle’ in front of a child, use the word ‘poke.’ Instead of saying ‘medicine,’ say ‘syrup.’ While you can’t use these words when dealing with an elderly patient as it will sound condescending, using them with children will be highly effective. The most important thing is to make the kids as comfortable and confident as possible. It’s also crucial to make them feel safe in your office. 

Conclusion 

Effective communication can have a positive impact on patients in many ways. It allows them to easily open up about their situation and embrace the treatment strategies offered. Communication will also create a sense of trust between healthcare providers and patients, which might also make it easy for them to follow all treatment recommendations. This can lead to long-term benefits such as reduced patient visits, cost, and improved outcomes.