MICROLEARNING LIBRARY  
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Upset Patients
(Step 5 - Solve)

Micro Series Part 6 of 8 [Adapted from the masterclass Soothing The Upset Patient] When we assure, ask, empathize, and appreciate, emotions usually begin to soothe. Now it's time to solve! The right fix is rarely just a technical one; it's the action that proves you care. This upSKILL covers how to solve + a game plan when you're not sure what you can do.
   7:08 Watch Time [Week 35 from the Weekly upSKILL series]
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 Real Help 

Solve these 'people problems'

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For upSKILLers:

  • Not knowing what to say when a patient is upset, and you're not sure what the solution is
  • Walking into a room with an upset patient, already dreading how it's going to go
  • Assuming an upset patient has already decided how they feel about you, and there's nothing you can do
  • Walking in with confidence, knowing you and the patient are on the same team against the problem
  • Remembering that most upset patients aren't upset with you, it's about their perception of the exchange
  • Feeling more objective and less emotionally rattled with upset patients, teammates, or people in your personal life

For Leaders:

  • Team members reacting to complaints with facts and policy before addressing the patient's feelings
  • Inconsistent responses to upset patients depending on who's serving them that day
  • Team members getting defensive or emotional during patient complaints instead of staying objective
  • Losing patients and getting bad reviews because a patient never felt cared for, even when the outcome couldn't change
  • Coaching team members to walk into hard conversations with the same team mindset instead of dread
  • Retaining more patients and protecting the organization's reputation by helping patients feel cared for, even when unhappy
  • Building a culture where patients feel like the organization is on their team from the very first response
 Data 

It's science

Research on complaint handling shows customers judge a resolution not just by the outcome, but by whether they had a voice in the process and felt treated with respect. (1) 
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This is why offering choices and asking what a patient wants often lands better than the "correct" answer on its own.
A classic study on choice and control found that giving people even small choices and responsibility measurably increased their happiness and well-being.(2)
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Offering an upset patient options does more than solve a problem, it hands back a sense of control they may feel like they've lost.
Research on service recovery shows that patients who have a complaint resolved well can end up just as satisfied, sometimes more, than if nothing had gone wrong in the first place.(3)
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A well-handled "no" or workaround can build more trust than a problem that never happened.
 Note 

From The Experts

"Nine out of ten times, the real solution is whatever action will show the patient we care. When you can, offer more than one solution. People who are upset usually feel like they've lost control. By offering options, it puts them back in the driver's seat, which feels good, and it takes away that helpless feeling no one likes."
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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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Chu Vision Institute

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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) Tax, S. S., Brown, S. W., & Chandrashekaran, M. (1998). "Customer Evaluations of Service Complaint Experiences: Implications for Relationship Marketing." Journal of Marketing, 62(2), 60-76.; (2) Langer, E. J., & Rodin, J. (1976). "The Effects of Choice and Enhanced Personal Responsibility for the Aged: A Field Experiment in an Institutional Setting." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 34(2), 191-198.; (3) McCollough, M. A., Berry, L. L., & Yadav, M. S. (2000). "An Empirical Investigation of Customer Complaint Processing and Recovery Satisfaction." Journal of Service Research, 3(2), 121-137.