Regardless of whether you work in retail, provide legal advice or practice medicine, at some point there will be a complaint. This happens to all of us and the sign of the level of service we provide is how we deal with these often complex problems when they arise.
While most people find it pleasant and easy to handle, there will be times when, during the course of your medical practice, you will encounter someone who is stressful and has difficulty coping. It can be something as simple as waiting too long for a meeting with a more complex situation involving diagnosis and treatment.
Difficult patients can experience the temperament and bedside of even the most relaxed physician and deal with them, and solving their problems can be difficult at the best of times. This is not only a leading doctor who has to deal with such problems: each person from your admission staff will have to be able to cope with those people who have a complaint, regardless of whether the complaint is valid or not.
As a doctor who specializes in providing exceptional patient experiences, one patient at a time, it’s up to you to make a difference, and those who experience moments of dissatisfaction with the attention and sensitivity they deserve.
Here are 5 tips for resolving these complex complaints:
1. Focus all your attention on the unhappy patient.
This last thing most of us want, when we have a complaint, is that he will be fired without much thought. The burden should not be in your receptionist to calm someone down, the complaint should be sent up to someone with the authority to handle it.
Your first task is to give your unfortunate patient your full attention. This means that you do not have to cope with the problem in a crowded waiting room, but send them to silence where there are no distractions. Sit down, listen carefully and ask the appropriate questions to understand the essence of things. Taking this kind of action would go a long way to dispel the anger of your patient and ensure that their complaint is properly communicated.
You can use the best practices in the world, but if you have a disgruntled patient whose problem is fired without hesitation, they are more likely to leave in a bad mood, go to their friends and family and tell them how they were treated. Even if the problem is not what you are doing, proposing a solution is important for spreading the situation and preventing its escalation.
2 Recognize their frustration and apologize sincerely
Regardless of whether it is fully justified, your patient is upset and feels that they have been offended. They want to be seen, heard, and, more importantly, someone authoritative understood. Take this problem seriously, admit that there is a problem that needs to be resolved, and try to understand how they feel. Let the patient express his complaint - fix it.
Sure recognition of the patient’s problem is key and says something like “I'm sorry to hear that you have this problem. I can understand how you feel. ” vital.
3 Restore rapport
Now that you have been acknowledged and apologized, your difficult patient, I hope, will be more relaxed and ready for more fruitful participation. It is not enough just to apologize, to kiss him better. and send them on your way, you need to work on solving the problem. Let them know that your priority is to solve the problem and that you are making every effort to solve it personally. In other words, work, not against the patient, to find a win-win solution.
Compliance with a problem (even if it is not your personal error) means that the patient has someone to address if the problem takes time to be resolved. This may put additional pressure on your time when you are trying to figure it out, but it is well worth the effort if you want to turn a difficult patient.
4. Restore management by directing a solution
It is time to collect all the facts of the complaint and use this to develop a solution based on these facts. This is all about studying the nuts and bolts of the situation, and you need to ask a lot of questions to figure out the essence of the problem.
It is also important to start taking immediate action to show your unsatisfied patient that something can be done. There is also no harm in asking the patient to take part in the search for a solution by asking: “What would you like it to be done? What can I do to solve this problem for you? What do you think is appropriate and fair decision? "
The key components of a solution to a problem should be the following steps:
· Establish a reasonable time frame to solve the problem to meet the patient.
· Ensure full implementation of the agreed problem solution.
· If you need to involve other employees, make sure that they are fully informed about the problem and know what is expected of them.
· Timely observation is vital, and you need to make sure that you go to the patient to see if they are satisfied with the resolution.
5. Document interactions with a complex patient.
You do not need to have it as part of the official records, but it is a good idea to document everything related to your relationship with the unsatisfied patient. They should be as complete as possible and easily understood by any third party who may have to look at the details if the problem is not resolved to satisfy the patient.
Problem patients often offer the biggest problems for doctors and their staff. However, these moments also make it possible to transform routine practice into an exceptional patient experience, which ultimately provides a premium profit. The news that you are at the root of any problem, deal with it efficiently and sensitively, and provide appropriate solutions, bypass and enhance your reputation. A good trip in the news, maybe a little slower than bad, but everyone around that you care about your patients will go this extra mile to solve their problems.
