As a medical professional you understand that having great communication skills is very important. Knowing how to interact with patients from different walks of life in an effective manner is key to maintaining a successful practice.
According to a survey conducted on behalf of Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), 76% of clinicians surveyed believe telemedicine "will make up a majority of patient care in the near future." This means that even if you've mastered how to communicate with patients in-person, now's the time to learn how to best communicate with them in a virtual environment.
Dr. Richard Tytus, Co-Founder and Medical Director of telemedicine solution Banty Inc., is a big champion of the online medicine movement. As such, he has learned that in order to best communicate with patients in a virtual environment, you have to:
Use a reliable telemedicine solution: Banty Virtual Clinic is an easy and secure option for medical clinics looking to host appointments online. Not only is Banty HIPAA/PHIPA compliant for virtual medicine, but it also has end-to-end encryption to ensure all interactions remain private. Additionally, Banty Virtual Clinic accounts come with a Banty room address that's unique to each doctor. This is the only link patients will need to enter an appointment
Have a quiet, distraction-free meeting space: No matter where you conduct virtual patient visits from, the space should be peaceful and without any possible distractions. This will allow the patient to have an easier time focusing on what you are telling them, and not miss any important pieces of information
Make eye contact: Learning how to make eye contact during a video call can be tricky at first. Human instinct tells us to look at a person's face when speaking with them. However, in the video conference environment, you instead need to be looking directly into the camera you are using to achieve proper eye contact. When doing this, the patient will feel like you are speaking directly to them, rather than accidentally looking past, or around, them
Still deliver test results, diagnoses, etc., in a consistent, professional manner: Do your best to remain consistent regarding how you deliver information to patients. While it may feel different because you're online together and not in a doctor's office, patients need you to remain consistent and familiar at this juncture. Failing to do so will make patients wonder if virtual visits are the right appointment method for them moving forward
"For some patients, telemedicine is a whole new experience. To help them build familiarity – and trust – with it, doctors need to go the extra mile to ensure communication remains strong," adds Dr. Tytus. "If patients see that there is zero drop off in communication from an in-person to a virtual appointment, their confidence in telemedicine will grow."
Thanks Tech Inside Out for this coverage of Banty!
