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Ask The Right Questions
(Understand First)

Asking allows us to understand, and understanding is what gives us the ability to inform or solve in the way that the patient needs. You can have every answer and still leave a patient feeling unheard because 'being' informed isn't the same as 'feeling' informed. Sometimes what we think is the problem isn't the actual problem, but we'll never know unless we ask. This upSKILL focuses on the art of asking the right questions. 
   8:10 Watch Time [Week 14 from the Weekly upSKILL series]
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 Real Help 

Solve these 'people problems'

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For upSKILLers:

  • Feeling like patients are informed but still seem unsure or hesitant after you've explained everything  
  • Relying on "Do you have any other questions?" that leaves patients with a blank look
  • Launching into generic information before knowing what this specific patient actually needs
  • Knowing the difference between a patient who's informed vs. one who actually feels understood
  • Making patients feel like you found the right solution for them, not just a solution
  • Bringing that same curiosity to teammates and people in your personal life too

For Leaders:

  • Team members answering every technical question but still leaving patients unsure or hesitant 
  • Team members defaulting to "any questions?" instead of asking questions that uncover real needs
  • Patients feeling talked at instead of understood, even when the information given was accurate 
  • Coaching team members to ask before they inform, not just tell after they assume
  • Building patient trust that leads to more confident decisions and fewer patients who "leave to think about it" 
  • Setting the standard for understanding patients before delivering information
 Data 

It's science

Daniel Pink's research found that the ability to find a problem, not just solve one, is what actually moves people to trust a recommendation.(1)
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Asking real questions is how we find out what a patient actually needs before we try to help them.
One widely cited study found that physicians interrupted patients an average of just 18 seconds after they started talking.(2)
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When we jump straight to telling instead of asking, we miss the details that would have made our help land the way it's meant to.
Research on patient-centered communication shows that patients who feel understood by their care team report higher satisfaction and are more likely to follow through on recommendations.(3)
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Asking the right questions isn't just kind; it's part of what makes our care actually work.
 Note 

From The Experts

"If we don't ask the right questions, then we're operating out of a lack of awareness and understanding, which ends up creating a one-size-fits-all impersonal projection of information. The patient might be informed, but they won't feel informed."
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- Christine & Lauren, The Patient Whisperers
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 SERIES 

This is adapted from Weekly: Mastering Soft Skills

by The Patient Whisperers:
Soft skills that make work and life better.
For everyone who works with patients - or interacts with humans.

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 WHO 

Meet the experts

The Patient Whisperers
Christine Scarlett
& Lauren Weaver
Former practice leaders leading change by bringing relational intelligence, soft skills + emotional connection into healthcare as authors, speakers, and upSKILL instructors. 
Get to know them here or connect on social media:
Christine Scarlett
Former CMO
& Director of Patient Experience
From counseling patients, to Director of Patient Experience, to CMO, Christine's worn nearly every 'hat' in a healthcare practice. The driving force? Her love for people... creating exceptional patient experiences and empowering those who serve them.
Lauren Weaver
Former
Director of Brand Development
Bringing her PR, branding, social media influencer status, and love of storytelling with her, Lauren turned how we market and build a brand for ourselves in healthcare upside down by redefining how we connect with our patients, both in practice and online.
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(1) Pink, D. H. (2012). To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others. Riverhead Books. (2) Beckman, H. B., & Frankel, R. M. (1984). "The Effect of Physician Behavior on the Collection of Data." Annals of Internal Medicine, 101(5), 692-696. (3) Stewart, M. et al. (2000). "The Impact of Patient-Centered Care on Outcomes." Journal of Family Practice, 49(9), 796-804.