Trust and loyalty are based on regularly meeting expectations

When you think about the places, things or services you “trust,” what do they all have in common? Take, for example, eating. Unless you are on Soylent or have taken a vow to eat the same thing every day for the rest of your life, then deciding what to eat is a daily frustration. When you do decide to eat out — and avoid the dreaded “What should we make?” question — you want consistency. Being consistent, meeting expectations, sharing expertise and, most important, feeling you are getting the most from that establishment are elements of loyalty and trust.

BUILD TRUST

As O.D.s — or any physician — it is our responsibility to establish a confidence and rapport with our patients. Our staff members play a leading role in this relationship, as they are the first and last impression within the patient encounter. However, at the end of the day, your actions will ultimately decide whether that patient will entrust the whole office with their eyes.

I have written in the past that there are little things we can do to establish this trust, such as giving patients information about things for which they didn’t ask or telling them why they would not be a good candidate for something. Another would be to act humble and positive. In practice, this looks like thanking the patient for being tolerant while you were running behind, rather than apologizing for being late.

SHARE EXPERTISE

Other tangible things can solidify the doctor-patient structure too. An obvious example is providing a solution to a problem the patient may have been unable to find a resolution for from other doctors. So too would be providing a new timely treatment option or contact lens that meets or exceeds the patient’s needs. Yet, I also feel that being a patient advocate will ultimately be the most consistently altruistic action we can provide. Taking every step to provide, as an old rep once told my treat-starved staff that he brought only, “good clinical data.”

As clinicians we can build that trust simply by letting patients know what is or is not in their best interest, although it may be perceived to be in ours. For example telling a patient about refractive eye surgery, letting them know that the most expensive glasses they like are actually too big for their face or simply telling them about a good OTC medication.

CREATE LOYALTY

Being a patient advocate will be the most consistently altruistic action we can provide. Ultimately, trust is earned over time with a track record of honesty. Loyalty is earned by the way you make people feel. Be a selfless provider who delivers the type of options your patients may not know they could benefit from. You do that — they will come back! OM

DR. BLOOMENSTEIN practices at Schwartz Laser Eye Center in Scottsdale, Ariz. He is a founding member of the Optometric Council on Refractive Technology. He is a speaker and advisory board member for: Akorn, Allergan, Bausch + Lomb, Johnson & Johnson Vision, OcuSoft and TearLab. Email him at mbloomenstein@gmail.com.