May 2004

Do your patients feel the difference?

by William Esteb

In the more philosophical reaches of the profession, an all too common tactic is to scold patients when they mention symptoms of any kind. "We don't treat your symptoms in this office. That's what medical doctors do!" Like swatting a dog that has piddled on the rug with a rolled up newspaper, patients quickly learn not to share their observations about the changes they're feeling in their bodies. Not only does this erect a barrier between you and your patients, it is likely to produce the exact opposite effect from creating a lifetime wellness patient!

Taboo topic

One cherished aspect of our most valued relationships is the ability to "let our hair down" and speak from our heart. Most of us have very few friends with whom we can really be ourselves and reveal our innermost thoughts without judgment. This feeling of safety is a crucial dimension of the best patient/doctor relationships. If you're interested in creating influential, long term patient relationships, it's essential that patients feel comfortable discussing any topic under the sun. If discussing symptoms is seemingly off limits, patients never really relax around you for fear they'll slip and make a mistake. The relationship becomes stiff, distant and detached.

Body awareness

You probably receive some type of ongoing chiropractic care. Many chiropractors I meet get adjusted once a week or so. Those who get adjusted less frequently almost always mention that they'd get checked more often if their colleague was closer or more convenient.

"How do you know when you need an adjustment?" I ask.

"I don't know. I can just tell when things aren't right," they volunteer.

"Yeah, but does a timer go off in your head? Do you have a specific standing appointment you feel like you have to honor? How do you know when it's time?"

"Gee, I haven't thought about it that much. I guess I get adjusted when I notice a little stiffness and soreness or when my body just seems to be a little off," they observe with a bit of introspection.

"Sounds like you're pretty attuned to your body."

That's probably one of the reasons you got involved in health care. You're very aware of your body. How you came to that awareness might be something to give some further thought to, but what about your patients? How aware of their bodies are they?

An out‑of‑body experience

I contend that most patients are quite oblivious to their bodies. They have very little knowledge about even basic human physiology. Many of their beliefs are inconsistent, simplistic or just plain wrong. This turns many patients into victims rather than the resourceful and assertive individuals you and I become when we seek health care services. This mentality actually interferes with the healing process!

When you assume patients place a high value on their health, and you assume they know more about their bodies than they actually do, you set yourself up for frustration and unfulfilling patient relationships. No wonder you have little patience for patients who talk about their symptoms!

Your objectivity gives you the luxury of judging a patient's progress by the restoration of spinal curves, improved posture, more equal leg lengths, better range of motion and a host of high tech gadgets and fancy printouts. But for patients living in this vessel called their body, it all boils down to how they feel. If they continue to feel better, they'll hang around for more visits. If they don't feel better, but their visits are being paid for by a third party, they may still hang around until their benefits are exhausted. But if you want a cash paying patient to show up once or twice a month for the rest of their lives and benefit from chiropractic care in the same way you do, the angles, circles, millimeters and other objective measures that you use won't be nearly as compelling as how the patient feels.

Maybe the real problem is that patients aren't feeling enough!

Keeping them down on the farm

Besides restoring patients to their pre incident health or simply relieving their presenting complaints, you have the opportunity to make them aware of a higher standard of feeling. Use the occasion of their visits to help them come to better know their bodies and the sensations associated with improved health. Help increase their awareness of the subtle distinctions that are afforded those who enjoy better health. The objective is to give patients a new appreciation, a new level of expectation of what their body is capable of doing and feeling like with chiropractic care. Make certain that patients will have the awareness and language to compare their diminished health after discontinuing care in the future with what they're enjoying in your office now with chiropractic care.

If you've never tasted some deliciously exotic food, you don't know what you're missing. You might have some curiosity for it, but rarely an overwhelming compulsion to enjoy it. It's only after experiencing it that you have an appreciation for it. Same with optimum health.

When patients discontinue their care (as most do), a heightened awareness of what better health feels like can later serve to help them reach the same conclusion you have: ongoing chiropractic care is a good thing. And while it's true that you can't accurately judge your health by how you feel, how the patient feels is likely the motivating factor in a patient's subsequent reactivation.

"I feel better when I don't have subluxations."

"I feel like there's something out of whack."

"I feel like I have more energy when I get chiropractic care."

"I feel more alive when I get regularly adjusted."

Bottom line? What patients feel is more persuasive than what patients know. Educate patients as best you can. But perhaps more importantly, help them feel the better health that chiropractic affords.

(William Esteb is the president and creative director of Patient Media, Inc. His new company provides state of the art, visually based patient communication tools from a patient's point of view. Request a free copy of his 64-page catalog and subscribe to Monday Morning Motivation, his free, weekly e‑mailed practice tip or patient communication idea by visiting www.patientmedia.com or calling 800-486-2337.)