More women continue to enter the healthcare industry as doctors. In fact, statistics in 2021 show that more than 35 percent of all practicing doctors in the U.S. are female.
However, some patients may still harbor worries about female doctors handling their primary or specialized healthcare. Female doctors of all levels can use these five simple tips to connect better with their patients.
1. Research Before Meeting
In the rush to take care of as many patients as possible and show they are just as capable as their male counterparts, female doctors may skim over key details in patients’ medical charts. However, this glossing over information in the files and not really taking the time to get to know their patients’ medical situations can compromise the doctor-patient relationship. Instead, female doctors can do more thorough research and read file details carefully to establish better initial relationships with their patients.
2. Pick Up on Emotional Cues
Females are stereotypically thought to be able to pick up on other people’s emotional clues better than men. In the case of female doctors visiting with patients, this stereotype may actually come in useful. When they purposely search for and react to patients’ emotional cues, female doctors may respond more accurately and build better relationships with their patients.
3. Utilize Updated and Relevant Means of Communication
Patients also rely on their doctors for updated and helpful information about their healthcare. To connect better with their patients, female doctors can use a medical writing service to help create virtual and print resources. By investing in options like informative websites, pamphlets, and healthcare-related articles, they may not only make their patients proactive in their own medical care but also demonstrate that they encourage transparency and meaningful connections with their patients.
4. Search for Agreement Opportunities
Many patients want to feel like they have a healthy amount of input in their own treatment plans. They want their doctors to listen to them and compromise if and when possible about what kinds of treatments to utilize to treat illnesses or injuries. Female doctors can look for those opportunities to agree and compromise with their patients. Reaching agreements when possible can help female doctors foster better relationships with their patients.
5. Connect with Patients’ Stories
Finally, female doctors should look for chances to connect with the stories their patients tell them. For example, when a patient tells his or her female doctor about suffering an injury and perhaps not being able to work or care for his or her family, the doctor would fare well to use personal experiences, either from herself or someone in her family or circle of friends, to relate as closely as possible to that patient’s story. Connecting with patients and their individual stories can help build and keep more productive doctor-patient relationships.
These five tips can help female doctors connect better with their patients. They foster more trust in the doctors’ ability to care for patients properly and also allow doctors to understand what patients are going through with their unique medical diagnoses. They likewise ensure patients may receive the best care possible.
