Please activate JavaScript!
Please install Adobe Flash Player, click here for download
ePaper created 2018-03-23, 14:13:00 | version 1.38.0
46 Dental Tribune Middle East & Africa Edition | September-October 2015practice management What do patients want? By Fiona Stuart-Wilson, UK V ery often when planning our practice’s services, we take as a starting point what we would like to offer our patients and even the level of service that we would like to receive ourselves if we were pa- tients. After all patients have cer- tain expectations and require- ments which must be met if they are at least going to be satisfied, let alone delighted, with their experience. So perhaps reflect- ing on what would give us sat- isfaction is no bad place to start. But should it stop there? If we only think about what we would like, we are in danger of ignor- ing the fact that our patients are not us and may be looking at things from a different angle and may indeed want something different. Key priorities that tend to be identified by patients in surveys include - unsurprisingly - the cleanliness of practices, the knowledge and technical ability of staff, and treatment outcomes. However patients also identify that the way they are treated plays an important part in form- ing their view of a practice, so customer service and communi- cation skills play a critical role in a patient’s decision to return to a dentist. Research from the US on pa- tient requirements also makes for interesting reading and can help us reflect on how we in our own practices measure up. Here are some of the key highlights of recent findings of what patients thought important: Empathetic, friendly and ap- proachable staff It does not matter how friendly your staff think they are. It does matter how friendly your pa- tients think your staff are both in person and on the telephone. Patient - facing staff need to see themselves as hosts welcom- ing patients to the practice, and communicate and behave ac- cordingly. High standards of sterilization, cross-infection control and general cleanliness Your sterilization and cross- infection procedures might be perfect but patients notice all aspects of a practice. If the bath- room is not scrupulously clean or the reception desk is grubby and cluttered, patients will have misgivings about your standards of cleanliness generally. Post-treatment telephone contact These appear to be important to patient satisfaction levels and there is some evidence to sug- gest that patients are more likely to stay with a dentist who tel- ephones calls them after treat- ment themselves, rather than a dentist who delegates this to a member of staff. The quality of smiles in the practice Are you and your staff a good advertisement for dentistry and indeed your own work? Patients look at the smiles that they see around them in the practice, and may view that as evidence of the quality of care you provide. Convenient practice opening hours Location and opening hours are crucial in to patients’ levels of satisfaction. If your practice is not the most convenient location do make sure that you commu- nicate to patients the positives, the easiest way of getting to the practice etc. and the conveni- ence of your opening hours for both treatment and for appoint- ment making and information. A fast new-patient appoint- ment The length of time it takes to get a new patient appointment can be crucial to the patients buying decision. It is suggested that if this is more than 2 days, patients may choose to look elsewhere. Running to time This is a perennial issue in many practices but it still seems to be really important in a patient’s view of a dentist and whether they are satisfied or not with their care. If you regularly over- run and see patients after their appointment time, for whatever good reason, your patient may see this as a lack of respect for their time. Well-explained treatment plans and financial options. Patients appreciate having treat- ment plans explained to them in terms they can understand, and a clear discussion of the costs in- volved. Many patients still view dentistry as expensive and need to feel comfortable with the in- vestment they are making. In addition, there is some evidence from the US that patients want more than one financial option to consider in order for them to feel satisfied with the experi- ence they have had. In reflecting on these points you may feel that you are doing all of these things. But times change and patients become more de- manding. At the heart of your reflection should be seeing things from your patients’ point of view. Exactly what is it like to be a patient in your practice? What is the real patient experi- ence, as opposed to the one you would like patients to have? And is there anything you need to change?