Patient experience of care and you: the importance of patient-centred care in malpractice complaints

A happy patient means a happy doctor, but the high levels of stress and the enormous workload of working in a hospital can make it easy to forget that.

To help you put the patient at the centre of your practice, here are a few reminders of what patients want—and some new tips and tricks to provide it.

To Be Noticed

Patients don’t want to be defined by their problem, nor as their position as a patient. The importance of patient experience in healthcare is centred around registering that these patients are people, not numbers, and not a disease to be cured as quickly as possible.

What happens when this goes wrong?

If you fail to take proper notice of your patient and simply “sweep them along”, you can end up with problems regarding uninformed consent. When a patient isn’t kept up to date with changes to their diagnosis and/or treatments, you can end up with a situation where they don’t know what it is they are being treated for, what they are being treated with, and what the negative outcomes of this treatment might be. They might give consent, but it’s not informed consent.

DO

• Call your patient by name
• Keep the patient informed about changes in diagnoses and/or treatments
• Explain treatments and diagnoses in an understandable way
• Make them comfortable physically, especially those with accessibility issues
• Ensure the patient feels like they are a part of the process, not just a problem.

DON’T

• Refer to patients by appointment time
• Rush through the appointment
• Make any assumptions about consent

To Be Heard

Being sick or in pain can be an anxiety-inducing ordeal for many patients, especially if it has reached the point where they are having to visit the hospital. You can alleviate this anxiety by making sure the patient is heard; that they know you, as their doctor, are taking their experiences into account as well as your own.

What happens when this goes wrong?

Failing to listen to patients fully and making assumptions about their symptoms/diagnosis can easily lead to misdiagnosis, either by diagnosing incorrectly or missing a problem altogether. Patient experience is one of the primary avenues of information for a doctor. You must make sure you take advantage of it.

DO

• Listen actively
• Acknowledge concerns
• Respect preferences
• Ask about their experiences and symptoms and allow them to explain in full
• Ask “what questions do you have?” instead of “do you have any questions?”
• Ensure the patient feels that their concerns are being heard, not just ignored.

DON’T

• Interrupt
• Stare at your screen while the patient is talking
• Make assumptions about diagnoses based only on your own observations

To Feel Safe

Most people don’t often go to hospital unless it’s an emergency, and those that do can be suffering from serious and/or chronic illnesses. Your patients want to feel confident in your abilities as well as you as a person, and want to know that you take their preferences and fears into account.

What happens when this goes wrong?

If you fail to remain empathetic and sensitive to the experience of the patient, it can be easy to fall into a breach of care. An aggressive word, a snippy remark, even a poorly timed facial expression or a failure to follow up with the patient in time can all result in a complaint.

DO

• Ask if it is okay to proceed with a test or treatment e.g. “Is it okay for me to take your blood pressure?”
• Ask non-medical questions about their work, hobbies, likes and dislikes, etc.
• Explain any changes to procedures e.g. prescription processes
• Sit down with your patient rather than stand over them
• Ensure the patient feels comfortable before, during and after your care, not anxious.

DON’T

• “Let them loose” at the end of the session. Follow up with them and secondary/tertiary healthcare providers.
• Give in to exasperation; this might be obvious to you, but it isn’t for your patient.
• Put yourself in a position where your empathy is low e.g. high levels of stress. Patient-centred care begins with you

We hope this reminder of how to improve your patient experience of care has been useful. For more information on surviving your first few years as a resident doctor, check out our free ebook below.