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Upset Patients
(Step 6 - Follow-up)

Micro Series Part 7 of 8 [Adapted from the masterclass Soothing The Upset Patient] Fixing the problem isn't the end. Our brains remember one hard moment more than several good ones, so if the interaction ends the second the solution is reached, the relationship stays fragile. Real repair means showing up again, on purpose, after the fix. This upSKILL shares a short game plan for the follow-up that turns a resolved complaint into a stronger relationship.
   7:21 Watch Time [Week 36 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 a 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

Relationship researcher John Gottman found that stable, happy relationships share about 5 positive interactions for every 1 negative one, a ratio often called the "magic ratio".(1)
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That means one hard moment with a patient takes several genuine follow-ups to actually restore the relationship, not just a solution.
Negative experiences are psychologically "stickier" than positive ones, registering more strongly in memory than good moments do.(2)
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That's why a patient can forget most of a great visit but remember exactly how it felt when something went wrong.
How an organization responds after a complaint, not just whether the complaint gets solved, is what actually predicts whether a patient stays loyal or quietly leaves.(3)
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Follow-up is the part of recovery that patients (or anyone!) remember most.
 Note 

From The Experts

"The point is, no matter what type of solution feels right, we need about 4 more positive and attentive interactions with this upset patient or person to counteract the negative experience and get our relationship back in a positive place."
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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) Gottman, J. M., & Levenson, R. W. (1992). "Marital Processes Predictive of Later Dissolution: Behavior, Physiology, and Health." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 63(2), 221-233; popularized in Gottman, J. M., & Silver, N. (1999). The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work. (2) Rozin, P., & Royzman, E. B. (2001). "Negativity Bias, Negativity Dominance, and Contagion." Personality and Social Psychology Review, 5(4), 296-320. (3) McCollough, M. A., Berry, L. L., & Yadav, M. S. (2000). "An Empirical Investigation of Customer Complaint Processing and Recovery." Journal of Service Research, 3(2), 121-137.