Take a moment to reflect. How genuine are your efforts as a practice to actively seek feedback from your patients about where you can improve?

The patient feedback activity for accreditation never gives rise to compliance with respect to the practice, so have you considered what you are afraid of? Not getting on the scales won’t change your weight. Similarly, putting in earplugs won’t change what your patients are saying about you.

Our fear of losing (in this case hearing negative feedback) can sometimes make us a bit short-sighted. Myopic loss aversion occurs when people lose sight of long-term gains because they’re focused on short-term losses. In general, humans have a strong preference for positive information. 

Beyond our general dislike of negativity, the ‘ostrich effect’ is driven in large part by our desire to maintain a certain self-image. We have a deep-seated need to feel good about ourselves (and our practices), and as a result, we often bend our perceptions of reality just a tad, to protect our ego.  

Though it can be tempting to run away from constructive criticism, in the long run, we’re almost always better off knowing where we stand and how we can improve. Although it may take a little determination, it’s possible to get around the ostrich effect.

Responding to negative reviews (such as on google) with empathy and a commitment to resolve issues can often turn dissatisfied patients into loyal ones. It makes you seem trustworthy and protects your reputation. Even when nothing can be done to rectify the situation, a response will be seen in a favourable light.

The opportunity to individually respond to patient feedback might be limited in the case of the patient feedback survey for accreditation where responses are anonymous. However, you can’t underestimate the faith people place in us when they openly share their honest feedback, or the trust that we build when we actively listen. Suggested changes can add real value to our practice and to our professional lives.

Keen to unpack how you can be more open to embracing feedback? Give us a call, we’d love to hear from you.