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If you want to make your dental practice more empathetic and create space for yourself, your colleagues and your patients, you will need to make a few changes. Let these ten tips inspire you to become a true coach, counsellor and partner to your clients.
Many of our tips require changing your pricing or your clinic’s business model. But there is one thing you can do for your patients for free, without spending any more time. Simply shake their hand when they enter your office, or show them respect in any way that suits your style or cultural habits – but be sure to make eye contact. Then sit down and let the patient talk about their needs without interruption.
When you are dealing with a patient, be completely there for them. Try to create a space where you are not constantly interrupted by various tasks – and in which direct interaction with your patient is possible. Do not create any physical barriers. For example, do not place a screen or a table between you and your patient. Invest in comfortable seating for you and your patient that allows for pleasant interaction. Do not look at your watch when talking to your patients; this signals impatience or inattention.
Yes, it likely means you need to increase your prices – but it can be a triple win for everybody. You get fewer patients, patients get more attention, and your revenue stays the same. If you’re worried about excluding people who are less fortunate, you can have social programmes in place that are based on flexible pricing (offering high discounts to people in need).
Having to deal with too many patients every day might stretch your attention too thin and lead to decreased quality of care. Take on only as many patients as you can comfortably handle, even if it might mean increasing the price. While you may think that taking on as many patients as possible might be good for your dental practice, the opposite is true.
Some of the best oral health clinics we know have a high ratio of prevention services to repair services (e.g. they have multiple days focused on dental hygiene, or more dental hygiene clinic rooms than those focused on repair). Push yourself towards prevention by committing to prevention-focused packages, even though the first months of such a switch might cost you.
This used to be a popular thing once – businesses from different neighbourhoods pooling their resources, and collectively trying to change behaviour of their customer base – or patients, in our case. Imagine ‘dental hygiene days’, or making every last week in a month a dental hygiene week, where you try building new social habits in your city.
You cannot make space for your patients if you do not make space for yourself first. Take time for yourself each day, destress, relax, and spend time away from work and stressing about it so that the next day you have enough energy to be there for your patients.
Lead by example. You cannot be empathetic to your patients if you are not empathetic to your colleagues and employees. Make empathy a priority by incorporating it into hiring decisions and the onboarding process, including recruitment practices and job descriptions. It should also influence how you recognise and reward people.
Ask the patients what they need. Make them the centre of your work model. This approach requires a thorough understanding of the patient journey, including their pain points, challenges and obstacles. This perspective is usually obtained through surveys and focus groups.
Technology can be a great tool for improving the patient experience and building empathy in your practice. Easy-to-use patient portals or online appointment booking can help streamline the process of scheduling patients, and make it less stressful for them and for yourself. Automating tasks like email reminders for patients will free up time for yourself and allow you to focus on what really matters.
