The Type of PATIENT SATISFACTION Plastic Surgeons Should Focus On

When I first begin my consultation with a plastic surgeon about practice marketing and management, I ask what he or she feels are the most important elements in attaining ‘satisfaction’ for their patients?

Overwhelmingly, the answer is ‘good results’. Unquestionably, there is truth to this response, but both studies and my personal experience reveal that most often this is not the primary factor.

After working for many years with plastic surgery practices, I am well aware that prospective new patients are highly interested in how other patients ‘feel’ about the surgeon they are considering. Yes, being pleased with results is helpful, but you would be surprised how ‘feelings’ have become important in this mix.

So what factors strongly influence satisfaction and cause patients to

recommend a surgeon to their friends and others? Unfortunately, a study which included some 37,000 patients who had cosmetic surgical procedures largely went unnoticed. However, the facts derived from this survey identically coincide with the client practice experiences of myself and my team. Correlations were weak for items such as office hours, scheduling appointments, waiting times, interactions with nurses or staff, and attention to patient privacy or safety.

In contrast, items specifically related to the plastic surgeon were the

strongest motivating factor in recommending a surgeon. The primary items were the patient’s level of confidence in the surgeon and the surgeon’s concern for the patient’s questions and worries. Other important factors included the surgeon’s explanations of the problem or condition and efforts to include the patient in decisions.

Of course, if a patient is displeased with the results, then this becomes the paramount issue in relation to recommendations. Having said this, the vast majority of patients are pleased with their surgical outcomes, thus the leading satisfaction factors listed above become paramount. Prospects simply assume a testimonial patient is happy with the surgical procedure, and are more interested in a patient’s ‘feelings’ about the surgeon. 

WHY? Two elements we have observed over the years is that the majority of prospective patients have a fear of surgery and many tend to be slightly in awe of a plastic surgeon, thus reluctant to ask questions. Therefore, the description of a surgeon’s warm bedside manner, caring attitude and empathy become important ‘feelings’ in patient testimonials. 

“Empathy is seeing with the eyes of another, listening with the ears of another and feeling with the heart of another.” – Alfred Adler