In your organization, think about what specifically has become so imprinted in your culture, in your daily operation, in your interactions with customers (and each other), and even your physical environment, that “it” defines your standard of common practice in delivering healthcare?
Whose point of view defines “it”?
Our common sense and intuition easily resonate with a patient-driven model for care, but there is often a huge gap between what leaders are thinking or feeling and what they are actually doing.
The essence of Patient-Driven Care is being able to successfully cross the divide between Common Sense and Common Practice where every patient touch-point with your organization reinforces your brand as designed around the human at the center of care.
In my years working at Disney, this was perhaps the number one rule that was reinforced for me and the thousands of cast members (employees).
Exceeding expectations – or creating “magic moments” for guests – was not only our service philosophy; it was our core business. And at the heart of this philosophy was the belief that no matter what your individual job task was, it was the attitude and demeanor of every single Disney employee that would either positively or negatively impact their entire experience.
And you know what? It’s no different for healthcare.
How your patients and their families perceive your employees’ willingness to go the extra mile and treat them as they wish to be treated is powerful. It influences their overall opinion of your entire healthcare organization.
So what are some things you and your staff can do right now to exceed patient expectations?
Knock before entering a patient’s room.
Introduce yourself.
Explain what you’re doing (before, during, and after – avoiding medical jargon).
Make eye contact rather focusing on an electronic medical record.
Actively listen.
Ask patients what name they prefer you use … and then use it.
That last example is one of my biggest pet peeves and the main reason I shared the story about my father (you can read it here).
These are things that are not just nice to do. In the eyes of patients, they are priceless. And by incorporating them (and others) as part of your Common Practice, you can begin to create peace of mind for patients, build trust between caregivers and patients, and move closer to the goal of providing patient-driven care.
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