This is a great time to reinvent the way you deliver your patient reports. All too often a chiropractor’s report of findings becomes habitual, rote and repetitive. Like any other type of autopilot communication, it diminishes the impact of your words. Resolving to rethink the way you present your findings can introduce a new level of connection and patient influence.
The chiropractic report of findings I’ve witnessed or listened to as recordings almost always offer up too much information. What many chiropractors forget is that it’s often not what you say, it’s your enthusiasm, certainty, hope and emotional subtext that patients find convincing. Not the phases, millimeters and disc spacing.
Here are a couple of considerations (from a patient’s point of view) to keep in mind as you simplify, shorten and remove the sales overtures of your report of findings:
Clarify your story. There are only a couple of ways to frame your chiropractic intervention. I call them the Four Stories. All too many chiropractors are all over the place, shunning just about any talk of relief (the reason why patients show up in your practice) and focus on the more enlightened aspects of prevention and wellness.
Keep your eye on the prize. The purpose of your report is to share your examination findings in a way that a layperson will find meaningful and offer choices about appropriate actions they can take. Stray too far from this objective and your reports degenerate into a sales session.
Involve the patient. Most reports are monologues delivered in the bluish light cast by the patient’s X-rays. One way to involve patients is to have them phase place themselves. Another is to have patients hold an anatomical model showing their phase of spinal decay.
Equip patients to recreate your explanations. Don’t send a patient home empty handed! If you don’t get to meet their spouse, equip the patient with the handouts and visual aids they’ll need to convince their partner. We offer a variety of patient report folders and ROF tools for that purpose.
Keep it short. Over 10 minutes and you’re probably offering up way too much detail. Make an audio recording of your reports and listen to them. (That’s the hard part.) You’re the rare chiropractor if you don’t blush a couple of times (“I said that!?!) as you listen back.
If you’re ready to take on a total report of findings makeover, you may find 10 Most Common Report Mistakes from my 9th book, Connecting the Dots to be especially helpful.