Trusting Your Healthcare Provider

The ability to search for information about our health is both a great asset and great liability. Although it can be beneficial to you in certain instances, this knowledge has created a barrier between healthcare providers and patients. Even though there are countless home remedies, ‘miracle supplements’, the thought that you can diagnose yourself with major diseases on WebMd, and the influence of the media, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is still best practice to consult with healthcare providers for your diagnosis and trust in their treatment plans.

Widespread mistrust has seeped into the healthcare industry and is causing lack of trust. Studies have shown that in the current circumstances of COVID-19 only 57% of people believe that doctors care about a patient’s best interests. So why is it so hard for people to trust their healthcare providers?

Why is there so much distrust?

One of the main reasons why people do not trust their healthcare providers is due to media trends that portray doctors as untrustworthy. The media is extremely powerful due to its ability to reach a great number of individuals all around the world. And in the midst of a pandemic, the media has been at the forefront of every development, covering every negative story to increase viewership. We’ve all seen the big stories about doctors being arrested for fraud or for harassing their patients or most recently people drinking substances that had certain chemicals in them thought to cure COVID-19. Unfortunately, the stories about the good healthcare providers often get overlooked and don’t get as much attention from the press.

Did you know that trusting your healthcare provider can have better outcomes? A 2017 peer-reviewed study explained that patient who trusts healthcare professionals “are more satisfied with their treatment, have fewer symptoms and pursue healthier behaviors.” Similarly, to trust in a relationship, it is very important to have that same trust with your healthcare provider. According to an article published by Modern Healthcare “There are varied definitions of trust, but they frequently reflect a consistent set of attributes, such as competence, integrity, transparency, compassion, reliability, confidentiality and vulnerability.” Therefore, if you’re looking to rebuild trust with your healthcare professional, consider making trust the initial topic of conversation with your provider.

Establishing Trust at Spring Hills

At our company, we take extra steps from the moment that a resident or family member calls or takes a virtual tour, to ensure that we earn their initial trust and continue to maintain that trust throughout their stay in our care. Here are a few of the ways that we do that.

Individualized Onboarding & Discovery

During the sales process, our company learns everything about that individual and their families to ensure quality care is provided upon admission into our care.

When it comes to healthcare, the ability to have trust in your provider is absolutely vital to a successful relationship. In senior care, you are placing the task of ensuring your loved one’s final years are enjoyable and pleasant, and the provider should take them seriously. If your provider displays any of the characteristics of trust, you’re on the right track to ensuring a respectful relationship. Believe it or not, the individuals who work in the healthcare industry all have the same goal, to ensure that healthcare is delivered in an efficient and well-mannered way.

WOW Moments

From the moment that a new senior or their loved one first makes contact with us; we begin the process of learning everything about them. After that, we begin putting together a WOW (Willingness to Observe our resident’s Wishes) Moment that incorporates those aspects of their life. It helps them to feel welcome into our care and serves as a way to help build trust from the get-go.

Complete Transparency

Trust is built on honesty. That is why, as a company, we are consistently available to family members to help foster those feelings of trust. Providing clear information for families to reference, such as COVID-19 Resources, allows for open communication. Another reason why we value online reviews, such as satisfaction surveys and deficiency-free surveys so much. To see how we are performing and keeping our transparency. In addition, we use advanced technology so families can see their care for their loved ones in real-time. We also communicate with families by SMILE Technology and more recently, LifeLoop, a communication technology for everyone! We have even been utilizing video chat technology such as FaceTime or Skype so families can feel connected to their loved ones. We even encourage visitors to ask about our deficiency free surveys.

At Spring Hills Senior Communities, we are proud to continue to serve you through the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic. To learn more, contact your local community.