Hearing a patient say, "I trust you more than my other doctors" was very heartwarming, but also discouraging the idea of how the system has failed so many. This isn't a political discussion, just an expression of how our patients have been able to more than benefit by having us in their healthcare corner.
Recently, we had a patient who experienced some odd symptoms and was quite scared of what to do, who to go to, and what was going on. Out of nowhere, their elbow became extremely swollen, hot, red, and very painful. I had woken up to several messages and pictures of a very puffy elbow that was as red as Ruldoph's nose. The majority of the messages were ridden with fear questions and anxiety about what the possibilities were and who to go to get it looked at.
Now, this patient was out of the country when this occurred, so these discussions were had over a virtual consultation, however, the biggest priority was figuring out what happened and what to do next since there was no acute injury, no prior incident, or any pain leading up to this.
While getting the history and looking at the elbow, the patient ensured I knew that I was the first person she wanted to talk to. Why is that important? To boost our ego? Absolutely not. It's important because that is the ultimate sign of trust from a patient. And when we decided this patient did need to go to Urgent Care and get it further evaluated for Gout (which was one of the differential diagnoses discussed), she was very grateful. Especially when the tests came back positive for her symptoms being due to a Gouty flare-up.
When our patients are in a time of distress they look to OUR guidance. We've had it happen several times. Calls and texts in the mornings, late nights, and weekends when patients are trying to figure out what is happening and what can be done.
And it's simply because of these few reasons that you may not expect.
1) We *typically* are the Doctors that most patients see the most. Most people don't have to see their primary 5-10x in a year. Most people don't see an Orthopedist, Internist, or Neurologist multiple times a year. Because we are *typically* the clinicians who see them the most frequently they trust us more. We know more about them than their other providers, both physically and personally. It's what happens when you put two social butterflies in a model where you spend 60 minutes with someone on multiple occasions.
2) We give the opportunity to be available to our patients to provide an above-and-beyond experience. That means we give our patients contact information so that we can ensure they can contact us with questions, concerns, or during emergencies. Think about it, if you tried to call your primary or specialist on the weekend or after hours, would you bet on it that they would pick up? Even if it's a simple question? I sure as heck wouldn't. No this doesn't mean we don't have personal lives, but it does mean that when we tell you we are INVESTED IN YOU, we mean it and prove it.
3) Finally, we AREN'T afraid to tell our patients the truth, which is sometimes, "I don't know, but I'm going to send you to the people who know best." We aren't do it alls and we sure as heck don't know everything. Also, there are plenty of times in which we simply cannot help situations no matter how much we want to. That's why we aren't afraid to say we can't help and ensure the person knows we will help them find the best people.
It's reasons like this why Strength & Spine has over 230+ 5-Star Google reviews. It's reasons like this why our patients continue to tell their friends, family, and colleagues about us. We take care of our people in many ways, and being there for them in times of distress is an important thing for us. We want to be the people you trust to ask questions, even if it's something we can't help with, because it shows you and us that we are the ones you trust. It is the biggest compliment in the world to be trusted. And if you don't trust your healthcare provider on a deeper level than "haha they won't kill me", that's a problem.
It's time to invest in those who invest in you. Schedule your FREE Discovery Visit today at Strengthchiro.com
-Dr. Cameron Gholampour
Strength & Spine Chiropractic
