MICROLEARNING LIBRARY  

What Patients Overhear Matters | Conversational Awareness

What patients overhear can tell them more about us than what we say directly to them. Being aware of personal chat and conversations about other patients is important because what we say is shaping their perception of our organization and us (whether we realize it or not!).
   8 min, 30 seconds
   Adapted from the Weekly Series (Wks 79, 80)
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 Real Help 

Solve these 'people problems'

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For upSKILLers:

  • Patients are becoming anxious, skeptical, or guarded after overhearing conversations they don’t fully understand
  • Accidentally making patients feel unsafe, unimportant, or unsure through side conversations or unclear communication
  • Wanting patients to feel calm, confident, and cared for even during busy or chaotic moments
  • Remembering that patients fill in the blanks when they overhear conversations without context or reassurance
  • Creating more trust, professionalism, and smoother interactions by being intentional about what patients hear and how they interpret it
  • Navigating conversations more thoughtfully with teammates, friends, family, and even kids who may overhear only part of the story

For Leaders:

  • Patients are quietly losing trust because of conversations, comments, or tone they overhear within the practice
  • The “they can’t hear me” whispers, side comments, or team energy shifts that patients absolutely pick up on
  • Internal conversations that create anxiety, confusion, or worst case scenario thinking because patients overhear only part of the story
  • Personal conversations within earshot that unintentionally make the practice feel unprofessional, distracted, or unfocused on patient care (what's ok and what's not)
  • “Vent sessions” behind the desk or at the team station that patients can overhear and quietly lose trust in
  • Helping team members become more intentional about what patients overhear so the environment consistently feels calm, professional, warm, and trustworthy
  • Building a culture where patients consistently overhear professionalism, preparedness, warmth, and teamwork instead of stress or chaos
 Data 

It's science

Research shows that uncertainty and fear of the unknown significantly increase anxiety and stress responses in healthcare settings.(1)
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When patients overhear unclear conversations without context, their brains often fill in the gaps with worst case scenario thinking.
Studies on negativity bias found that people react more strongly to negative or potentially threatening information than neutral or positive information.(2)
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This means patients are far more likely to fixate on overhearing “we’re out of the large sterile packs” than all the things that are actually going right during their visit.
Research on trust and communication in healthcare shows that patients judge competence, safety, and quality of care not only by clinical skill, but by what they observe and overhear in the environment around them.(3)
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Conversations, tone, side comments, and team interactions all shape whether patients feel safe, confident, and cared for.

A Note From The Experts

We're not a bunch of robots, there's absolutely a place (and even value!) in small talk with patients and with each other. It creates a positive, warm atmosphere! We also have to communicate with our team, sometimes around patients. Here are a few dos and don'ts to help you pay attention to the conversations you have when patients are within patient earshot.
Christine & Lauren
The Patient Whisperers

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This is adapted from Weekly: Mastering Soft Skills

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Chu Vision Institute

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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) LeBlanc, V. R. (2009). “The Effects of Acute Stress on Performance.” The International Journal of Emergency Medicine.
(2) Baumeister, R. F., Bratslavsky, E., Finkenauer, C., & Vohs, K. D. (2001). “Bad Is Stronger Than Good.” Review of General Psychology, 5(4), 323–370.
(3) Street, R. L. Jr., Makoul, G., Arora, N. K., & Epstein, R. M. (2009). “How Does Communication Heal?” Patient Education and Counseling, 74(3), 295–301.