By Dr. Trina E.
Dorrah http://www.drtrinadorrah.com
S = Sit down
A = Avoid medical lingo
T = Teach back
S = Summarize
There are numerous patient experience improvement tips that
you can share with your doctors. The problem is, no one can remember that many
tips at once. If you want to help your doctors improve the patient experience, less is more. Focus on a few hi-yield tips,
and emphasize them frequently.
SATS can help
Encouraging your doctors to “Check the SATS” is one easy way to help your doctors improve the
patient experience. It’s practical, catchy, and doable. When done consistently,
these 4 tips will go a long way towards helping your doctors focus on behaviors
that truly make a difference to their patients.
SATS explained
S = Sit down;
encourage your docs to sit at some point during each patient encounter. This helps your doctor appear more relaxed
and accessible. It also increases your patients’ perception of time spent with
the doctor.
A = Avoid medical
lingo; remind your doctors to explain using clear and simple language.
Encourage them to avoid medical terminology unless followed by an explanation.
As a physician, I can tell you that we are so used to speaking in medical
terminology that we often do not recognize when we do it.
T = Teach back;
ask your doctors to utilize the teach-back method to improve their patients’
understanding. The doctor explains the concept to the patient, and the patient
explains it back in his or her own words. Your doctor then has the opportunity
to clear up any confusion and re-teach as needed.
S = Summarize;
your doctors can summarize at various times. After the patient tells his or her
story, encourage your doctor to summarize to ensure he or she heard correctly. Your
doctor can also use this technique to summarize the diagnoses and treatment
plan at the end of the visit.
Next steps
Meet with your doctors now and encourage them to “Check the SATS”. We are all working to
improve the patient experience. Providing your doctors with practical tools
such as SATS is one way to partner
with them to improve your patient experience.
In the end, patients want to be listened to, treated with courtesy and
respect, receive clear explanations, and have enough time with their doctor.
Having your doctors “Check the SATS”
for each patient accomplishes this goal.
