Laurie's Blogs.

 

07
Sep 2019

What not to say to clients!

NotSay

I found a really great blog post.  It was called 5 things you should never say to a patient.  The information is immediately applicable to those of us working with animals as well.  Let’s dive in.

 

1.“The biceps tendon originates from the supraglenoid tubercle…”  Okay, Brainiac!  Nobody else cares how much you know.  They need you to explain it to them in a language they can understand.  So, try to come up with ways to explain things in simple, descriptive terms. Use visuals. Remember that part of your goal is to connect with your patients, not show off your knowledge or how many big words you know!  Now, don’t dumb it down to the point that you’re just glossing over everything, but learn to play to your audience.

2.“Because I said so.”  Oh, this one reminds me of raising my kids, and how many times I just wanted to say, “because I said so!”  But neither kids or clients respond to that! Administering treatment or prescribing exercise without providing an explanation as to how that treatment or exercise connects to the therapeutic goals is a surefire way to turn off even your most engaged clients. Be sure to explain the reasoning behind your treatment and exercise prescriptions.  As well, in order to know what the client’s goals actually are, you need to get to know the client.   To do that, you need to talk WITH them, not TO them.

3.“You could be doing better.”  Be forewarned against discouraging or admonishing your clients.  Start with focusing on the good things and the progresses that their pet is making.  If you really need to point out where the client’s ‘slacking off’ is hindering healing, then do so gently.  I swear, I think everyone in healthcare needs a degree in psychology!

4.“Well, I guess that would be okay.” (Allowing a client to dictate their care plan.)  This one can be tricky.  Canine healthcare dollars come out of a family’s monthly budget, and that can be hard for people to balance.  However, you are the expert, which means that it’s up to you to advise what would be best for a patient.  When I run into discrepancies with what would be best versus what the owner can afford, I always distill it down to Good, Better, Best.  Only I present it in the reverse.  “Here would be my BEST suggestion…  If that doesn’t work for you then, second would be… And if that still isn’t possible, then… would still be good.”  (Usually the latter of those includes tons of homework, home exercises, etc., and a lecture about how THEY are now primarily responsible for any progress.  And that I want so see them back no later than <<insert an appropriate time frame here>>).  This way, I’m still in charge of what gets done in each scenario.

5.“See you whenever.”  Don’t let your clients leave without knowing your thoughts on the best follow-up course of action.  Even in the case of ‘management-only-patients’:  “This time frame seems to be good…  Let’s see him a little sooner next time…  You know he’s doing great, let’s put a week or two longer between this and his next appointment.”  Rehabilitation is a long-distance race, not a sprint.  This means that you need your clients to ‘buy into a long game’, do their home exercises, and come back!  To get this accomplished, here again, you need to build a rapport with the client.  You need to communicate your plans, your next steps, your thoughts, and engage the client in regards to their goals.  You want them to see the rehab through AND think of you in the future!

 

Okay, if you want to see the original (human) article on this, here’s the link:

https://www.webpt.com/blog/post/dont-speak-5-things-you-should-never-say-to-a-patient

 

I hope that gets you thinking about the importance of the words you choose this week!  Wishing you wonderful client communications!

 

Cheers!  Laurie

 



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