Clear and unambiguous
I had an appointment with a medical specialist recently. I like this specialist because they’re proactive. They get on with things.
But, when it comes to giving advice they aren’t always as clear as they should be.
The specialist gave me the advice to: “In the morning use medication A, plus or minus that medication B. In the afternoon use the medication A plus or minus medication C.”
When I heard that advice I asked what I had to look for in order to decide whether to use medication B and C. With this prompting the specialist finally gave me some clear criteria.
At the same appointment they also suggested a new treatment that I “might want to think about”. I had to ask clarifying questions: “What are the advantages and disadvantages of doing this treatment? Are you recommending this treatment?”
It struck me that confusion is the enemy of good communication. Any time you say something that isn’t clear a patient can become confused.
When you give advice or instructions to your patients how clear are you?
Do patients know the pros and cons of each treatment option you mention?
Are they crystal clear on the follow up that they need to do?
Do they know what problems to look for and what to do about them if they occur?
For example, after an extraction, some dentists say “Bite on this pack for 15 to 30 minutes.” Which one is it? 15 or 30?
Or, “Ideally we could look at doing a crown on this tooth.” Is it a good idea or a bad idea to do a crown?
It would be much better if you gave clear and unambiguous instructions.
If you enjoyed this article here are some more topics you might like: the micro-behaviour that undermines clarity, the broader communication framework.
A practice that communicates well and runs efficiently is almost unstoppable. If either of those resonates, explore case acceptance or efficiency — or both.
