The world of healthcare has changed! Healthcare is “Commoditised ” Doctors are called “providers”, Patients “consumers” & the patient’s behaviour reflects this change. Wishing things will get back to “normal” is living in denial. So what should we do?
Globally, Healthcare delivery is undergoing turbulence. Almost everyone has an opinion owing to the sensitive nature of the subject. Varied Opinions on causes of ailments and diseases, treatments, cures, doctors, hospitals, policies, healthcare systems, pricing, profitability etc. are widely circulated thanks to the internet and social media. These unqualified opinions contribute to confusion and acrimony!
Some common misguided notions that people entertain about doctors today include:
- Doctors have become money minded
- Doctors are callous and indifferent towards patients
- Doctors don’t spend adequate time with patients
- Doctors refuse to understand patient’s issues
- Doctors are arrogant and unapproachable
- Doctors don’t communicate properly or adequately
- Doctors don’t respect patient rights
- Doctors hide facts from the patient
- And many more…
Without going into the validity of these claims, I am troubled by so much angst against a profession that used to be “noble”. Perhaps, The answer lies in the fact that the world has changed and doctors have failed to do so. The changes affecting us today include:
The Power of Internet & Social Media
The internet and social media have changed human thought and behaviour drastically and irrevocably! People now have platforms to share their opinions, feelings, thoughts experiences easily, freely and globally! And guess what? health related issues are one of the most favourited topics of discussion globally. Unfortunately, this has serious repercussions for us doctors
There is a virtual “tsunami” of healthcare related information being freely bandied about. Some of it genuine, some fake and even downright fraudulent. Gullible people consume and even act upon this fake information with disastrous results. Antivaxxers, Natural therapies that guarantee 100% results, anti-medication rants… the list is endless. Patient desperately clutch at these straws
So what can we doctors do?
We must occupy this space, provide genuine information to our patients in a language and medium that they can understand and consume. A look at the average doctor patient communication will reveal that it is full of “medicalese” – medical jargon that is Greek to most patients!
So doctors, brush up your understanding of social media .develop the right skills, find out, learn, choose your social media strategy wisely. Most important! choose your vendors wisely – website designer, SEO, Facebook etc. They MUST have domain knowledge about your specialty and practice. One size does NOT fit all. You can attend one of my free Web master classes on this subject by registering here.
Changed Buying Behaviour
Almost all industries have accepted the fact that consumer behaviour has changed drastically over the last decade. People are far more discerning when they buy. They go to the internet and check! They look for information, reviews, customer testimonials before making their choice. Most industries and businesses have now not just accepted but aligned their marketing strategies with this changed behaviour. We, in Healthcare lag behind sadly! We harbor deep resentment towards patients who use “Dr. Google” and we are hoping against that this Dr. Google nightmare will end soon! Let me deliver the bad news. It is not going to go away, in fact it is only going to get worse.
We have to change our understanding of “marketing” completely and then ensure that we are out there in the world doing the right stuff! Integrating our marketing, and building an “Integrated Sales Machine” is the key to ethical marketing and success.
Empowered Patients
The modern-day patient is knows their rights and wants a choice. Patients are looking at being partners and not just recipients in managing their health. Unfortunately the response from most doctors is disappointing. A majority of them say – “My patients do not understand all this. They are not interested”. We could not be more mistaken. In front of us they may be docile and unquestioning, but they are not just interested but seriously concerned about receiving the best treatment.
So, when we doctor’s don’t educate them they go to Dr. Google or the nearest quack or their grandmother or their barber… And guess what? All of them have opinions and answers! As their treating doctor they have put their faith in us but we fail to measure up and allow third parties to get in the way of our relationships with our patients.
So once again we must learn how to educate, answer queries, support compliance and adherence, track and monitor to get superior clinical outcomes! The only way we can do this effectively is by using technology-based services. Again, we must learn and educate ourselves. Our clinical expertise is not enough!
Hostile environment
The environment has become hostile ! It appears that there is a conspiracy by the media, politicians, bureaucracy to “get us”. The environment is demanding transparency and accountability from doctors and hospitals. We may well express resentment and have a victim mindset – asking why us? Why not lawyers, judiciary, other professionals, politicians etc. However the burden to bring in transparency and accountability in our dealings lies with us. Unfortunately, this is where our roles may be limited by the “management”.
So what can we do? One way is to lament and curse and the other is to take back “hospital management” and/ or influence management decisions and policies. Unfortunately, because we lack the basic knowledge of Leadership, Management, Finance and Marketing, we cut a sorry figure in management meetings. I have first-hand experience of sitting in hundreds of management meetings where doctors have betrayed their lack of understanding of these basics. So, what do we do? Again, the answer is learn and empower ourselves. These are not difficult.
To conclude my dear doctor friends and colleagues, my earnest plea is for you to wake up and smell the coffee, stop living in denial. The world has changed and will not revert to “normal”. We need to be ready for this world. We must empower and equip ourselves with the basics of Leadership, Management, Finance and Marketing in order to lead healthcare in all respects.
I have a passion to empower and teach doctors, hospital managers on these vital subjects.
