Column Word of mouth with Dr Paul O’Dwyer


The waiting room W


When is the last time that you sat in your own waiting room? It’s a simple thing – but often goes unnoticed by us, as we usually dash through on our way to the surgery – or even avoid it altogether, if there is a separate entrance!


hen our patients attend for treatment, we invest a lot of time listening and advising. We tend


to focus on the presenting reason for attendance – check up/pain/lost filling etc. However, if we take a step back for a moment, and think about the patient’s experience or, as it is now called, the “patient journey”, we must ask ourselves: If I was attending this practice, what would I expect? Take a seat in the waiting room. Look


around for a couple of minutes. Is it bright, airy and welcoming? Are the posters on the wall informative? Can you tell that it is a well-tended and well-run practice? Even more simply: is the chair you are sitting in comfortable? We all run behind in seeing our patients – and often patients will spend more time in the waiting room than in the surgery. Also, the surgery is generally unnoticed by the patient. They are more concerned with their treatment. This can result in a patient attending a top-class surgery, bedecked with the most modern dental chair, hi-tech digital imagery and the best cross-infection control policy ever – but for many patients it is the waiting room they will remember. The out-of-date magazines, the noisy half- tuned radio, the well-worn carpet and the temperature. Never underestimate how important a well-lit, well-heated waiting room can be in helping patients feel comfortable and at ease. My old principal in Nottingham always used to say: “Keep the waiting room warm – it reduces the time taken for taking on and off the coats in winter – and you won’t lose valuable treatment time”. As you sit in the waiting room – ask yourself: is this the practice I would


choose to attend? Are there many others waiting with me? How long will I be in here? Is my appointment on time? Have I regularly been kept waiting – even though I’ve arrived on time? Have my details and records been double checked by reception? Have I been given an estimate of when I will be seen? Long-standing patients tend not to


notice the waiting room when they have attended for a lengthy period. They focus more on their ongoing treatment. New patients however tend to be sensitive to these points. We always walk a fine line in decorating the waiting room – balancing a clean efficient clinical look with welcoming “front room”. It’s becoming a whole science in the USA. I recently spoke with a professional interior decorator State-side who solely decorates waiting rooms – depending on the clinician’s design and market appeal. This sounds far-fetched but I can truly see this becoming a “thing” in years to come in Ireland. As we are also aware, in 20ı6, patients


have become consumers. In choosing to attend, they will certainly value “word of mouth” recommendations – however, if the environment and ambience is off-putting, they are less likely to return


for treatment. A vital point to also remember is that the financial transactions usually occur in the waiting room. This is important to remember – particularly when patients are being given written/ costed treatment plans. Discussion of payment often happens (by necessity) in the company of other patients. This is always a tricky part of the overall running of a practice. If Mr X arrives out to the waiting room after treatment and is faced with paying a three-digit bill for services, he may be less inclined to do so under the view of fellow neighbours or townsfolk. Some practices have a separate office where a manager will take care of this – however, as most practices are limited for space, this isn’t always an option. In reviewing the waiting room, think


about the following simple steps: ı. Is it welcoming? 2. Is the reading/literature information provided up to date? 3. Is there a variety of reading material? 4. Is the radio/music appealing? 5. Is the seating worn and décor in date? 6 If I have to wait here for 30 minutes will I be comfortable? In conclusion always remember that


patients tend to spend longer (overall) in the waiting room than in the surgery. It is that which they will remember, rather than the dental chair!


APOLOGY


In my last column, I made some highly generalised comments about the emphasis placed in different countries, both within the EU and more particularly in South America, on periodontal screening in dental education. This was ill thought out and incorrect. I wish to apologise for any offence caused.


Ireland’s Dental magazine 17


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