Press Ganey (Patient satisfaction polling company) CEO Tom Lee shared this slide. Doctors may have a slight intrinsic edge over coaches because patients want to give us the benefit of the doubt (competence). Focus on the right edge of the slide, let's call it the 3Cs.
1. Confidence. If patients had high confidence in the physician, only 1.9% failed to recommend them. Confidence parallels trust and loyalty...just like on your team.
2. Communication (Teamwork). The average patient in a hospital for 5.5 days for heart failure meets over 63 different people (nurses, technicians, aides, physicians, dieticians, et cetera). Patients (think players) don't want to get mixed signals or confusion. When teamwork reigned, patients were satisfied.
3. Caring (Empathy). Our patients (players) want to feel valued to feel that we are concerned about their welfare.
No, it's not rocket science but when we treat people right, communicate, and care...they notice. We make their experience better.