The #1 Way to Show Your Patients that You Care: Acknowledgment

“All the tests are back, and their is nothing wrong with your daughter.”  For years, I would step into a patients room and annouce the good news that there was “nothing wrong with you” thinking that the patient would be so releaved.  I was reminded of the impact of such a statment at work recently.  A physician had brought her daughter in to the Emergency Department for abdominal pain, and at the end of the visit, the nurse went into the room announcing to the physician that there was nothing wrong with her daugher.  The physician became very upset stating, “I would never bring my daughter into the Emergency Room if there was nothing wrong with her!”  With some ‘service recovery’, I was able to calm this physician mom.  But I was reminded again of how the “there is nothing wrong with you” statement must land with my patients.  For the last several years, I have changed my phrasing.  I now acknowledge that clearly there is something wrong but that our technology can’t find out what exactly is causing the pain.  This simple shift of phrase acknowledges and confirms our patients pain, suffering, and anxiety.  It is not about working harder or even spending more time.  It is working smarter and making the time really count by asking the right questions, saying the right things, and developing your presence (more to follow).