Putting the customer’s choice into consideration is the secret of any successful business; this is also applicable to medical organizations. Some patients will not patronize any doctor that has failed to meet up with their basic needs, and this is due to the availability of many options. Some people are in the habit of seeking recommendations from friends, family and colleagues to recommend a new doctor or even use social media to ask friends online in order to go to more appropriate doctor’s office. Because patient mobility is easier than ever thanks to the increasing availability of online reviews, medical organizations would have a better understanding of what their patients want now, rather than waiting for patients to tell them their dissatisfaction with withdrawal. In the event that you are not sure of what your patients want, here are four things that all patients are delighted to see in their doctor's office. 1. Friendly and professional staff members Kindness and respect significantly contribute to maintaining a positive relationship between your staff and each patient. Promote a friendly and relaxed atmosphere so that your patients respond the same way. They want to be respected and listened to. The more comfortable patients are, the more likely they are to raise questions that the doctor needs to know about and talk to them during diagnosis. Even if you have patients with you, and your calendar is disrupted with last night's emergencies or new complications, do everything to make sure that your patients do not feel rushed. 2. Have a neat and welcoming waiting room A lot of patients do not like it when doctors' waiting rooms are filled with old and worn-out magazines. To them, this is a sign that the staffs are not paying attention to details. Provide your patients with water, tea and coffee, provide them with useful and entertaining periodicals to assist in gaining their attention, and also reduce the volume of your television. Patients are not that interested in listening to violent reports or daily talk shows that focus on annoying topics while waiting for a doctor. 3. Do not waste much of their times while waiting A lot of patients are in a hurry, that is; they do not like waiting for long before they are attended to; there are so many things you can do to reduce waiting times such as installation of electronic health record software and also implementing an EHR solution which will help your staff to attend to patient more quickly. The faster your team works, the more patients can quickly leave the waiting room and receive the treatment they deserve. 4. Teaching aids It is easy to forget that patients are usually not experts in body parts, common problems and treatment methods. That's why they want educational material. You can place wall posters, distribute brochures and provide interactive information on your tablet, laptop, smartphone or PC. 3D models of body parts and systems are also useful when healthcare professionals need to quickly explain a complex subject to non-insiders. Your office will also want to consider publishing seasonal information (allergies, vaccinations, etc.) in regular newsletters that you send by mail or electronically. It should be remembered that many patients prefer not to go to the doctor's office, even if they only confirm that their health has returned to normal and that the treatment prescribed by the doctor is working as expected. Because you are at a disadvantage anyway, you should always consider what patients want in their office.
