Top Ten Qualities of a Great Doctor: A Patient’s Perspective

Recently, a team member here at Medical Site Solutions had an issue that needed medical assessment.  Yes, we talk to TONSSS of health care providers in the medical industry every day because, well, we’re in the business creating medical websites for doctors.  But in this case, our team member (let’s call her Jennifer for this blog’s sake) was in the position of being simply, a patient.  Jennifer came to work the next day and was all but raving about the doctor she had visited.  Her patient experience was awesome.  And it got us thinking more about doctors (as if we already don’t spend 150% of our existence thinking about them…haha) and what makes a truly great one.  There are so many doctors, physician, surgeons and health care providers out there…but what makes one better than another?  Is it their bedside manner?  Is it the building of a rapport?  Is it their experience or knowledge?  What separates the wheat from the chaff?  We decided to conduct our own little survey of patient experiences to come up with what we believe are the top ten qualities of a great doctor from the patient’s perspective.  This involved talking to several recent patients (like Jennifer) and discussing why they liked or didn’t like their doctor or experience, reading a ton of Yelp reviews for some of the top doctors in the area (and some of the lowest ranked doctors), and formulating our own conclusions based on our research.

​Here are the top 10 qualities of a great doctor that we came up with:
1)     Great Communication

• A great doctor has excellent communication skills and an empathetic bedside manner.  This doesn’t mean that they are great at explaining medical issues and procedures.  This may be part of being a good communicator but isn’t limited to the doctor reciting his/her knowledge.  It also means they are adept at actively and carefully listening to their patients.

2)     Attentive

• Many doctors today have a churn and burn type practice, with the primary goal of getting the patients in and getting them out.  Their goal is to see as many patients as they can cram into their schedule and trust me, the patients feel this.  Rushing appointments and making quick decision not only makes patients feel uneasy, uncared for, and part of a cattle call, it’s also bad for your online reputation.  A great doctor takes the critical time needed to build a rapport with their patients.  They take the time to ask (and answer) a few more questions, dig a little deeper into an issue, and truly care about helping their patients.

3)     Professional

• A great doctor is highly professional.  Being a professional can means a lot of different things to different doctors.  But to patients it means being trustworthy (doctor/patient confidentiality), being highly knowledgeable, being a great communicator, skilled, kind, caring, focused, and staying calm in traumatic situations.

4)     Caring

• This is a biggie and is the difference between being a “good” doctor versus being a “great” one.  A great doctor is truly and honestly empathetic and compassionate to their patients’ discomfort, pain or trauma.  Having the ability to be compassionate and caring means that the doctor is interested in his/her patients as human beings and not just information on a medical chart.

5)     Respectful of the Individual Patient

• Going the extra mile and treating each patient as an individual rather than a statistic is critical to being a great doctor.  Respecting your patients means listening to your patients and taking their input seriously.  Every patient is different, has a different body, and no one issue is exactly the same as the next.  One patient might be uncomfortable with taking a certain drug (or any drugs), another may prefer a more holistic approach to treatment, and another may have a religious or ethical belief that hinders treatment.  Always be respectful of your patient as an individual and try to problem solve from their uniqueness as opposed to routine methodologies.

6)     Skilled

• Patients want a doctor who is highly skilled and dedicated in their work.  More than being simply intelligent and book smart, a great doctor is truly talented at what they do and uses intuition and experience to implement the most effective treatments available.

7)     Confident

• Great doctors are not only supremely confident but they inspire confidence in their patients.  Patients want to feel secure that their doctor knows exactly what he’s doing every step of the way.  Whether performing surgery, formulating a diagnosis, giving medical advice, or creating a treatment plan, patients absolutely want a doctor who is 100% confident in their practice.

8)     Thorough

• This quality goes hand-in-hand with “attentive.”  A great doctor is thorough and takes their time to analyze their patient’s specific medical issue.

9)      Passionate

• The greatest doctors in the world all have this one quality in common: passion.  They are passionate about medicine, their practice, and helping others.  Their passion shines thru their work and patients know they are with “the right” doctor when they find one that is truly passionate.  A doctor who loves what he does, who is dedicated and committed, and who goes miles beyond the average doctor…those are the great ones.

10)  Progressive

• Great doctors NEVER STOP LEARNING….EVER!!!  No patient likes a closed-minded doctor set in his ways.  The medical industry changes and evolves at a very fast pace, and patients want the medical advice of doctors who are up-to-date on the latest developments, techniques, technologies, drugs, cures, and breakthroughs.

An additional aspect worth mentioning that greatly contributes to the patient experience is your OFFICE STAFF.  We’ve read again and again in Yelp reviews about patient experiences with staff, and you’d be surprised at just how important it is to have the right team in place.  Your staff is the first impression of your practice that your patients experience.  How kind or tired or rude or cheerful or helpful the office staff comes across can make or break your practice’s online reviews.  The same goes for any nurses, technicians, or assistants working in your office that have direct interaction on a daily basis with your patients.  It’s all part of the overall patient experience, and these days, with the accessibility to review sites like Health Grades, Yelp, Rate MDs and Vitals your reputation is more vulnerable than ever.  It doesn’t matter if you’re the best doctor on the planet if you have a crappy staff that isn’t creating a welcoming and caring environment.  It only takes a few bad reviews to knock a star or two off your online status.  At Medical Site Solutions, we offer medical website packages for doctors that include reputation management services.  Contact us today at (888) 993-1992 for more information on how we can help your top qualities shine in patient reviews.

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