It’s Only Natural
The other day, my partner told me a story about being referred to an acupuncturist by her infertility specialist. “For some people, it seems to work,” the specialist said. “You can try it if you want.” She figured, why not? What’s to lose?
At her appointment, the acupuncturist sat down with her and did a full 90-minute intake interview, including questions about the content of her dreams and her likes and dislikes in food. What he didn’t ask about was any history of medical problems. Not one question.
On the other hand, I remember once getting a complaint from a patient about one of my partners that he wasn’t “thorough enough.” I asked how she came to that conclusion, and she said he had listened to her lungs by having her lift her shirt, instead of putting her in a gown.
Clearly, what we mean by “thorough” and what patients mean are two different things. Most people have problems evaluating the quality of evidence-based medicine, so they answer the questions that are easier for them to answer.
“Do these people seem to care about me as a person? Do they take the time to get to know me? Do they want to hear my ideas and perspectives?” When you boil these questions down to their essence, they are all variations on one crucial calculation: Do I trust them?
Too often we think of trust only as a mediator of patient loyalty, but it’s much more than that. Trust determines how likely a patient is to adhere to a treatment plan. It influences how musch subjective relief they get from a treatment. It changes how early and how often they seek care. For all of those reasons, trust influences outcomes.
Oh, and for those of you keeping track of such things, it also influences how likely you are to be sued for malpractice.
If it seems as if naturopathic and homeopathic practitioners get a free pass while we’re held to a higher standard, consider the possibility that their “free pass” was actually earned--in the form of trust. That trust enables them, not only to hold on to their patients, but sometimes to get real results where we might struggle.
We don’t have to start prescribing herbs and magical tinctures to learn a thing or two from our alternative medicine colleagues. We just have to develop the skill that’s actually at the heart of their practice: creating trust.
