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Credibility in Communicating with Physicians
Author: Kriss Barlow, RN, MBA
While communication woes can happen with a variety of people, many in healthcare say they wish they felt more comfortable interacting with their medical staff. There's an inherent challenge in learning how to speak the language of the physician who's often short on time — but who's an integral part of your marketing strategy.
Physicians are not likely to change their approach to match yours, so if you want enhanced communication, it's up to you. Here are some suggestions to enhance communication with physicians.
Be prepared. This is critical. Detail the background, prepare your questions and make sure you clearly define your goals for the meeting.
Do some deductive decision-making. Physicians make a living by hearing the specifics and then formulating a diagnosis or conclusion. Provide them with an overview of the process followed by outcomes. Present a logical pathway for them to follow.
Limit brainstorming. Physicians are logical, deductive reasoners. They don't like to just "toss out" ideas. Their approach is to think through the process and outcomes for each idea — which makes for challenging brainstorming. Besides, if they go along with the brainstorming, their tendency (reinforced by years of training) is to wonder where you are headed. If they give you ideas, they will expect that you will implement them. Physicians assume you have an agenda and an outcome. Make sure your interest in their input is genuine — and save their time.
Communicate at the physician's pace and style. Communicate at the physician's pace and style. Match your pace and approach to the physician. The "doctor—is—very—busy" thinking creates a tendency to go fast, rather than giving physicians time to think through the process and respond.
Summarize. Review the process, outcomes, and next steps and discuss plans for follow-up, including timelines. Ensure you both heard the same thing and the physician knows what he needs to do and what to expect from you. This protects you from the physician who says, "That's not what I said."
Set realistic goals. Sometimes it takes more than one meeting to understand a physician's concerns or resolve the problem. Be prepared to move at her speed. Keep in mind that this may not be the only meeting you need with the physician. Factor this into the timeline so your project is not rushed at the last minute.