How to talk to patients when things go wrong

Orthodontists love to create beautiful smiles. You all work hard to formulate effective treatment plans, and treat your patients with diligence and care, working toward a successful outcome. When things go smoothly, your job is easy and satisfying. Life is good! You can go home and sleep soundly. But, what happens when things do not go as completely planned? Suppose your treatment plan is not achieving the result that you expected; or that the treatment itself is not progressing satisfactorily. It could be that the patient is not cooperating in the manner they need to; or, it could just be that physiology is working against you. When these instances occur, and they do, the lack of progressed is experienced by not only you, but by your patient as well; and it is this lack of progress may be causing the doctor/patient relationship to deteriorate. Now, how do you feel? Are you stressed during the work day? Do you carry that stress home at night? Many doctors have reported difficulty sleeping when they encounter patient and/or treatment problems. While these scenarios have kept some doctors awake at nights, others have reported that they feel like they have chosen the wrong career. Almost every job has some type of problems associated with it. Every interpersonal interaction is subject to misinterpretations and misunderstandings. You spent many years choosing the career path you did, do not doubt your career choice. However, it is possible that you may not be managing the occasional big issues or even the smaller day to day problems well. This is a skill you can learn. How? By learning to communicate with people and manage these problems so that they do not consume you nor take up more space in your mind and heart than is appropriate. The following are a few examples of problems that orthodontists have frequently reported to the claims department and they are accompanied by exemplars of how good communications can play a role in alleviating these adverse occurrences.