Does your patient avoid seeing you because they feel like they are wasting your time? According to a study conducted by the University of Cambridge, patients are increasingly feeling this way. The results, published this month, show worries over wasting their doctor’s time, particularly at a time when NHS resources are stretched, may influence when and whether patients choose to see their GP.
The Challenge
After interviewing the patients within the study, the researchers identified three threads common to the issue of timewasting: the experience of a conveyor belt approach to care, the intimation that ‘other patients’ waste time, and uncertainty among patients over what is worthy of their doctor’s time. Many patients struggle to feel confident they are identifying something “worthy” of going to their GP. Which means, you as a GP may not be conveying the right message. Many times what a patient may consider minor is something that needs to be confirmed as minor by a GP. So, how do you approach this challenge?
The Solution
An effective solution is information and education. Medical professionals need to educate their patients so they feel comfortable approaching them. Every patient, regardless of how petty their worry might seem, should feel at east addressing their concern with their GP. AppointmentReminders.com is an excellent solution. Our system could easily be used to send out an educational message to your patients. Imagine, a patient contemplating making an appointment, trying to decide if their concern is worth addressing with their doctor. Suddenly they receive your message (via email or text) encouraging them to make an appointment regardless of how minor they feel their concern is. What a comfort that message could be for them! Not to mention an increase in business for you. It is time for you to build a strategy to address this objection before it becomes an endemic. Start by using our program, with monthly fees as low as $9.99.
