What are the best ways to build rapport with patients?

First, listen to the patient. Be sincere and repeat a short summary of what they tell you stressing what you feel are key issues. Next, consider the impact of your words and actions carefully. As their physician, you are in a role of authority, and they can choose to listen or ignore you based on the communication and relationship you develop. The more rapport, the more likely they will follow your instructions. Finally, attempt to connect with the patient and their family/friends present if possible. Regardless of the condition or prognosis, this is an opportunity to grow the bond between doctor and patient to improve their overall care and experience.

I always started my Consultations with conscious patients by asking these questions Remind me of your age? A simple question that gets the patient talking. What is or was your work? Shows an interest in the person and their life. Everyone is interesting. What do you enjoy these days? The answers were very revealing. Sadly, some people enjoyed nothing because of their illnesses. Some were full of enjoyment even with multiple illnesses. I made a note of these "93y old, used to make instruments for Spitfires, now enjoys crocheting socks to wear with kilts'. This took less than a minute and usually established a professional and personal relationship between us. It also enabled me to learn so much from my patients.

Take time to get to know your patient. Establish good communication with them. Be open, encourage them to ask questions (because they will have them) and provide honest answers. The small amount of time you will invest doing this will proved a degree of comfort to the patient and will pave the way for further discussions of the medical issues that brought them to your office.

Honest open communication that includes being a good listener to the patient in a private environment. Understanding the patient's concerns and providing respectful honest responses including patient education.

Often we come across patients who have misconceptions about their health condition and its treatment. Although it might be very tempting to interrupt them by correcting their beliefs, it is very important to completely listen to what they have to say. This would help us pick up some correct beliefs that the patient may have which we can use as a positive note to begin with when it is our turn to speak.

In my experience, it has always been respectful to ask patient's what their preference is in treatment options or work up rather than tell them what you think needs to be done. This opens things up for a better dialog of options they may have, helps them be more active/involved in their own care, and overall more likely to follow through on completing goal of a treatment plan because they helped personalize their own.

Building rapport with patients involves active listening, empathy, and clear communication. Make eye contact, show genuine interest, and use open body language. Tailor your communication style to each patient, and ensure they feel heard and respected. Additionally, providing clear information, being approachable, and demonstrating empathy contribute to a strong patient-provider relationship.

In this digital era, many times the patients are well aware of the latest advancements pertaining to their health condition. If we show some appreciation to their research and ask a few questions about how they could know so much, they usually are very happy to interact with the professional with enthusiasm.

No matter what the circumstances- when people encounter their health care provider a degree of trepidation accompanies that encounter. Today’s healthcare provider has a duty to take the time needed to show and deliver compassionate empathetic care. Listening-explaining - holding a hand - a warm smile - all and much more will enhance that patience’s experience and provide a calm atmosphere they deserve. Is it always easy for us to do? Of course not. But it’s a must nonetheless!

Patients and families notice the little things and they mean a lot to them. If you can relate from personal experiences, it helps them understand what they’re going through. If you are empathetic, they are more likely to follow your advice and have better outcomes.

Everyone wants to feel safe, respected, and heard. To provide full service patient care, it must include empathy and compassion. Care providers are often times, a patients only outlet for all of the emotions they are feeling while navigating an ever changing, multifaceted, healthcare system that typically does not take into consideration their emotional needs.

Empathy is not only listening and acknowledging the difficulties the patient is facing. It is also important to speak in such a way that they feel that you understand what they are going through. It can be done by providing some real life examples without revealing the identity of the person who you are referring to. Another way of showing empathy is by just holding a hand or tapping the shoulder or simply handing over a tissue if the patient breaks down (depending upon the practices in different parts of the world).

Taking the time to listen actively, acknowledge their feelings, and show genuine concern can make a significant difference in their overall experience and well-being.

In my experience educating the patient with correct and relevant information in simple words ( layman language) with emphasis on their future health implications has always been useful in getting them more conscious about their routine health checks . Helping them to understand their diagnosis using images highlighting basic things that they can comprehend without getting anxious goes a long way in building trust , along with compassion and empathy towards their illness answering even their simplest queries makes them feel more confident and enhances their willpower to fight their disease.

It helps to speak with patients in words they can understand. Otherwise, you lose them in the first sentence. Once they’re lost, it’s very difficult to get them back.

As a nurse, I found one of the most effective methods for patient education is having the individual "teach it back to me". Go through your educational process with the patient and/or caregiver, then at the end of it, allow them time to demonstrate and instruct you, the clinician, on the procedure, diagnosis, home treatment, etc. Knowing they will need to teach the professional, normally causes immediate engagement by the individual in my experience. Teaching back the information also naturally demonstrates gaps in comprehension or areas of confusion the patient may have, which can be rectified immediately in the same educational session.

I have seen that explaining with diagrams or videos helps a lot in patient education. If the visual explanation is within two minutes it works best, unless the patient is curious to know more. That can be understood based on the questions that the patient may have. It is always good to hand over brochures or send longer videos to their phone/email so that they can go through them leisurely.

Open communication and sharing relevant information with patients fosters trust, strengthens the doctor-patient relationship, and enhances overall healthcare outcomes. Tailoring information to their level of understanding, using clear language, and encouraging questions are effective ways to share information with patients. And more importantly, ensure your patients feel supported by creating an open and empathetic environment, actively listening to their concerns, addressing questions, and involving them in the decision-making process. Regular follow-ups and accessible resources also contribute to ongoing support.

This just shows them that you think they are important. Answer questions and concerns. Don’t be afraid to say “ I don’t know” but follow with” I will find out and get back to you “ and the do that!

Follow up and follow through are where rapport most often breaks down. We can approach our patients with empathy, curiosity, listen well, treat them with respect and compassion however, if our patients cannot trust us to do what we say (e.g. provide a referral timely, call them with results, provide requested records), can they trust us with their actual health care?

The followups should not be restricted to just pretreatment and should also continue for a few weeks following treatment. Although the current followup trend is through sms and emails, it will be good to have a telephonic conversation with the patient to have a better connection. Even a short 30-40 seconds call makes a huge difference.

Quit pretending we all have same education patients and providers. We must remember their area of interest is different from ours and quite frankly: GIVE a damn and show it by all techniques listed. We are now so rushed by the business people in medicine except when they are the patient.

Be Authentic ! Bring in authenticity in your communication; sharing your intent and purpose sets the base for a good rapport .

Use winning storyline of patients who went through similar journeys. Show empathy and genuine compassion, this goes a long way.

Always strive to be non- judgmental of your patients. They come to you with life styles, living situations, personal and family history which may be very different from your experience.

Sit at the patient's level and look the patient in the eye when listening. Studies show this tip makes the person feel the other person is more attentive and listening better!