When you think of growth in the workplace, you often think about advances in technology, increase in revenue or the evolution of employee skills. But do you ever think about how relationships foster growth in the healthcare system? I am not talking about romantic relationships, but the kind of friendships between employees, and more importantly the connections they make with their patients. Healthcare is a complex system and it’s time to highlight how healthy relationships are the foundations for growth in every sector.
Studies show that there are more than 16 million frontline workers in the healthcare system. Patient health is first and foremost, but imagine if all these employees created a meaningful relationship with their patients.
Care is not just physical. Building connections and relationships has adverse effects on peoples’ mental health as well, and there is the science to back this up. Having friendships is necessary for peoples’ well being, giving them a sense of belonging. When we have someone we trust and can confide in, we feel seen and heard, and that’s all someone can ask for. Connections like these help build people up internally and give them confidence to receive love and care. Being taken care of from a mental and emotional standpoint, also helps people heal physically. Friendships prevent mental health issues like depression along with different heart diseases.
“Taking care of patients does not always mean direct medical care, their mental and emotional well-being are also vital to their recovery. Taking a little time out of your day to spread a little love and happiness helps build meaningful connections and can help patients feel valued,” says DoorSpace Co-Founder Brian White.
Taking care of patients and forming friendships does not have to take up too much of your employees’ time either. Asking thoughtful questions, getting to know them truly, or even just playing a game with the little ones can go a long way. It’s the thought that counts. Showing them that you are taking the time to connect is the ultimate cure.
“You can never show your patients you care enough. As a clinician, you are seeing them in their most vulnerable state, so it’s important to go the extra mile for them. These can be simple things like painting someone’s fingernails to help them feel more like themselves, or reading a book to a child so they can have a little sense of normalcy while they are in the hospital.”
This cycle is important because friendship is a two way street. When patients feel taken care of, it establishes a sense of trust in their nurses and doctors, and in turn, trust in the healthcare system itself. When clinicians feel trusted by their patients, satisfaction and enjoyment in the workplace grows. This amount of type of growth will help the healthcare industry flourish because people on every level are happy.
Satisfaction in the workplace is vital for the healthcare system. One of the biggest challenges these days is employee turnover, which leads to staffing issues on all fronts. This not only adds to the workload of those who stay, but creates a lower level of patient care overall. Satisfaction and growth are connected, so it’s important for healthcare executives to prioritize connections whenever possible.
Forming these patient-doctor relationships are sometimes put on the back burner. The healthcare system is constantly busy, so it can be hard to make enough time to form these connections. Frontline workers deserve a lighter workload so that they can really get to know their patients, and take care of them emotionally. Not only will this help patients heal and feel taken care of, but it will create growth that cannot be measured by a number. Sometimes the greatest medicine is love.