In his blog titled An Ounce of Prevention, Dr. Ashish Jha of the Harvard Medical School recently reported on his twitter poll of “what makes the best doctor.” The results had very little to do with health outcomes or technical skill, and more to do with the patient interface. See the key attributes of a successful doctor shown in the following chart.
This got me thinking: would the same attributes apply to the dental team?
We have yet to ask dental patients the exact same question but we have asked patients what their preferences are for dental services, and would they tell friends and family about a dentist who met these preferences.
So is the response from our poll similar to that of Dr. Jha?
It seems so. We found an overriding and consistent preference amongst Canadian and UK adult dental patients to be engaged in their dental care, and to pursue prevention. And if this approach is followed, we also found it will generate referrals; for example, 4 out of 10 respondents to our surveys say they will refer any practitioner who offers more prevention.
So a successful dental team is all about the patient’s shared journey to good oral health, rather than the technical skill of placing cosmetics or providing implants which are so commonly the basis for promotion.
What does this mean for marketing the dental team? It would seem the best approach is to show empathy not just about the smile but also overall health.
For more please visit: http://partnersinprevention.ca/what-makes-a-good-dental-professional/
By: Ross Perry
SOURCED: Partners In Prevention – http://partnersinprevention.ca/what-makes-a-good-dental-professional/