What strategies can you use to persuade a patient to follow your recommendations?
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As a patient advocate, you may encounter situations where you need to persuade a patient to follow your recommendations, such as adhering to a treatment plan, seeking a second opinion, or filing a complaint. However, persuading a patient is not always easy, especially if they have low health literacy, mistrust the health system, or face other barriers. In this article, you will learn some strategies that can help you communicate effectively and respectfully with your patient and increase their motivation and confidence to act on your advice.
The ELM model stands for the elaboration likelihood model, which is a theory that explains how people process persuasive messages. According to this model, there are two routes to persuasion: the central route and the peripheral route. The central route involves careful and rational evaluation of the message, while the peripheral route relies on superficial and emotional cues, such as the source's credibility, attractiveness, or emotions. Depending on your patient's level of involvement, interest, and ability, you can use either route or a combination of both to persuade them. For example, if your patient is highly interested and capable of understanding your message, you can use the central route and provide them with factual and logical arguments, such as statistics, evidence, or comparisons. If your patient is less interested or able to process your message, you can use the peripheral route and appeal to their emotions, values, or social norms, such as testimonials, stories, or incentives.
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Dr. Kumaresh Krishnamoorthy
Practicing Surgeon | Healthcare Entrepreneur | National Mentor | Start-up Founder | Collaborative Catalyst & Innovator
Persuading a patient to follow recommendations involves effective communication using clear and simple language that can be understood by them, showing empathy by listening actively to the patient's concerns and addressing their questions, doubts, and fears will go a long way in gaining their trust. Finally educate the patient by providing links to their condition a Remember that by building a strong rapport, providing clear information, and offering empathy, healthcare providers can significantly improve patient adherence to recommendations.
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Clare Batkin - Your OT Tutor
Your OT Tutor - I'm an #OTnerd that loves sharing tips, resources and CPD opportunities for OTs and AHPs - Open to questions and collaborations to help OTs Learn, Grow and Excel!
Hmmm if the patient is "less...able to process your message" I would be cautious about 'persuading' them and more interested in ensuring they have the capacity to agree to the treatment you are proposing in the first place. The points in this article are quite general, but if your patient is not agreeing to your recommendations because of their cognition or insight, you should be speaking with their NOK or whoever is responsible for assisting them to make these decisions. We should always involve the patient to whatever level they are able to participate, but sometimes an external decision-maker is needed.
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Enhancing your persuasion involves building rapport and trust with your patient. Rapport is the feeling of mutual understanding and connection that you establish with your patient through verbal and non-verbal communication, while trust is the belief that you are honest, reliable, and competent in your role as a patient advocate. To build rapport and trust, you can use active listening skills, like nodding, paraphrasing, and asking open-ended questions to show attentiveness. Additionally, empathic statements, such as "I can see how frustrating this must be for you" or "I appreciate how hard you are trying to cope" can convey that you care and understand your patient's feelings. Positive reinforcement, such as praise, compliments, or encouragement can be used to acknowledge your patient's strengths, achievements, and efforts. Self-disclosure, such as sharing relevant personal experiences or opinions can create a sense of similarity and intimacy with your patient. Lastly, humor like jokes, anecdotes, or irony can lighten the mood and reduce tension or anxiety.
Tailoring your message to your patient's needs, preferences, and characteristics can be an effective strategy to improve persuasion. This process involves adapting your message to suit the individual's situation, such as their health condition, goals, values, beliefs, attitudes, knowledge, skills, or learning style. To tailor your message, you could use plain language and avoid jargon; visuals such as graphs, charts, pictures, or videos; analogies, metaphors, or examples; stories, narratives, or testimonials; and interactive methods such as quizzes, games, or simulations. This will make the message more relevant and meaningful for your patient and help them understand and remember it better.
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Sudhir Makhija
Consultant, Expert in innovative products in healthcare, Stroke Awareness Advocate, Storyteller,Winner of speeches awards, An author, Student of Communication,Healthcare Patient Advocate.
asking them who is the doctor to whom they have visited to get opinion of their patient. what was the comfort level they had with this doctor. did they found the answers to all of their questions. will they like to take a second opinion for their patient. if no then the treatment that the doctor has reccomended should be followed. this is my prespective..
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Asim Mathur
District Quality Monitor at National Health Mission, Department of Public Health and Family Welfare, Govt of Madhya Pradesh
Mostly it is a mix of all three, when we have a good rapport with the patient, the patient will appreciate the elaborate details of the condition and symptoms. and when we have all the good work done, then we can communicate the messages to the patient tailored as per requirement.
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Cassandra Brown
Community Health Advocate
In my experience, when I have an “unruly” individual, I often restate that “unfortunately the rules set in place prevent me from being able to do (such and such) this way.” Then redirect them to a solution within the rules and offer some encouraging words or words of understanding.