Improving Overall Doctor-Patient’s Vibe

NO PARTICULARS DETAILS
1 Communication 1) Doctors must have good communication skills:
a) Active listening
b) Empathy
c) Clear explanations

All this will help patients feel heard, understood

and cared for.

2) Positive attitude.
Encourage doctors to maintain a positive attitude
and display optimism in their interactions. Use a
lot of positive words.

3) Greet patients with their name and smile

This will make patients feel valued and build good
rapport

2 Parts of communication There are three types of communication:

1) Verbal:
a) Deals with the content of the message
including selection of the words
b) Course and prognosis of the disease, treatment
options, risk and benefit,

2) Non-verbal:
Component includes body language like posture,
gesture, facial expression, and spatial distance

3) Para-verbal:
Includes tone, pitch, pacing and volume of the
voice.

Study shows while communicating, people tend to focus

on:
10% Verbal
90 % Non-verbal and para-verbal communication

Ways to improve listening skills are:

1) Never have discussion while walking or on some

other task

2) Show interest in what the patient is saying with the

mannerism, body language and active involvement
 like leaning forward a little bit while listening.

3) Be careful not to interrupt while patient is

expressing something

4) Be prepared and know the patient’s name. If it is

an old case, greet and ask how the patient is

5) Establish eye contact and maintain it at reasonable

intervals.

6) Put the patient at ease. Some patients may be

nervous, so begin with a general non-medical
inquiry to develop comfortable scenario

3 Personal appearance 1) Maintain professional appearance:

A neat and professional look instills confidence in
patients and contributes to a positive impression

4 Patient Education 1) Provide patients with educational materials:

a) Provide patients with pamphlets after

consultations.

b) Give extra knowledge to patients’ related to

their conditions and ways to improve/avoid
such condition from reoccurring.

5 Islamic values in communication 1) Practice to verbalize Islamic words like

Alhamdulillah, Subhanallah, Allahuakbar, etc

2) For patients with serious and chronic illness, recite

a short and brief dua for them even in malay

These simple acts and gestures will have a great impact on

the listeners directly and subconsciously.
6 Training and professional 1) Support doctors for Professional Development
development training:
a) Online course and workshop on leadership,
interpersonal communication, and stress
management can contribute to their overall
demeanor and vibe.
b) Doctors should also share as an in-house
training for other doctors to learn and apply
from their experiences.
7 Share success stories 1) Create a bulletin board or digital display to
showcase positive feedback and success stories
from patients who have recovered. This will create
a better doctor-patient’s trust.
This will also create patients’ positive vibe to
recover.