Patients are looking to their chiropractors for the most current information on healthy living

According to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey, 36% of US adults aged 18 years and over use some form of complementary and alternative medicine.¹ That means many people are looking for information on how to improve their health naturally, and chiropractors can take advantage of this growing need. Many products are out there to help chiropractors educate their patients.

Chiropractic Products spoke with representatives from four companies that have focused extensively on patient education. Bruce Goldsmith is founder and president of Visual Odyssey in Temple, Ga. Dana Mackison, DC, is director of education for Performance Health/Biofreeze Inc in Export, Pa. Helmut Flasch is CEO of Doctor Relations Inc in Chatsworth, Calif. Olman Mata, DC, is president of Illum Innate in Covina, Calif.

How do the patient-education materials you offer demonstrate the importance of spinal health to the overall health of the body?

Goldsmith: Instantly! The experience is immediate and unforgettable. Since 1976, Visual Odyssey has made it possible to simply: 1) step over to a Neuropatholator electronic wall chart; 2) press a vertebral switch; and 3) witness an instant correlation of throbbing nerves and organs. One push of a button, and it becomes clear that symptoms are only part of the story. In addition to our Neuropatholator, and our comprehensive “SHO” flip chart for patient talks, we also developed the constantly expanding Neuropatholator software, an extremely interactive library of hundreds of graphics and animations that cover nearly all the chiropractic and wellness topics you desire.

Mackison: Biofreeze/Performance Health believes strongly in supporting the patient’s understanding of the value and importance of at-home care. We further feel it is important to encourage their involvement, as a patient, to support the treatments being provided by the chiropractor. We feel our pain-relieving products work in tandem to provide this added adjunctive support the chiropractor may need for his most difficult patients. We also support the notion that the best follow-through and compliance by the patient is with a few well-chosen wellness products that the doctor believes in and utilizes on a routine basis.

Flasch: We coach the doctor/personnel to help the patient get a very vivid mental picture of the future real-life effects, which will be greatly more uncomfortable than the current discomfort the patient is experiencing. Showing him that he might not be able to play with grandchildren, eat all the food he wants, have energy to travel, do sports, or take walks with his spouse are the things that motivate him to get treatment now.

Mata: Illum Innate was designed to visually demonstrate nerve flow along the full length of the spine. Unlike anatomical spinal segments, Illum Innate can help chiropractors show patients how a nerve irritation anywhere along the spine can affect the overall health. The embedded light-emitting diode (LED) lights will illuminate with a series of normal green nerve- flow patterns; then, with a press of a button, a particular nerve group will illuminate red, indicating nerve-flow disruption. By pressing a different button, a chiropractor can demonstrate a chaotic pattern of nervous-system dysfunction along the full length of the spine.

How effective are patient-education materials in improving chiropractor/patient communication?

Goldsmith: Patient education’s goal is to fix in the chiropractor’s and patient’s minds the reason why they are both there. It’s necessary for compliance because favorable results are not always enough to convince friends and coworkers to try chiropractic too. Patients who are “allowed” to explain chiropractic as “pops and cracks” don’t do the profession or their friends any favors by spreading already prevelant misconceptions. Dramatic patient education is the key to comprehension.

Mackison: The effectiveness of education materials, I believe, are directly related to the ability of the patient to comprehend and understand the message that the doctor is wanting to tell. I think the concept of “keep it simple” is important to remember when working with a patient. Practically, if they are in an acute painful situation, the most important thing is that they want to be reassured they are in the right place for care and the doctor is confident in directing their care.

Flasch: It is useless to talk about bones, which will deteriorate, or any such thing. Materials do help, but as the question points out, we are talking about chiropractor/patient communication. Only appropriate communication by the doctor and staff will create a vivid and real picture in the patient’s mind about future handicaps should he not take care of his body now.

Thus, the knowledge of knowing what and how to communicate beats all preprepared educational materials.

Mata: The bottom line is that no matter what is available, a chiropractor can always educate a patient. The question is, how? Today, there are so many things available to us. State-of-the-art software, high-tech models, videos, animations—all these things work, and they work well. They are effective, provided they are used. So with all this in mind, a chiropractor should use whatever is in his or her reach, whatever tools are available. There is just no excuse.

How can patient-education materials improve patient retention and referrals?

Goldsmith: People need to be exposed to new ideas in ways that are congruent with their personal learning styles. These patterns involve personality types and sensory-input predominance. An office must utilize auditory, kinesthetic, and visual devices to reach patients of all types and personalities. Involve your patients with compelling and interactive opportunities to learn. Effective, broad-spectrum patient education will swell a practice with loyal patients who bring in their friends and relatives.

Mackison: In my opinion, a well-informed patient is also a more satisfied patient and is better at being a consistent source for referrals. If patients are involved in their care and take an active part in acute or rehab care, they are more likely to follow through with treatment, be compliant, and remain a part of your active-care database. Anything that you or your office staff can do that encourages and supports the patient with educational materials or wellness products will improve their follow-through.

Flasch: Live communication that paints a vivid picture of very specific future handicaps specifically geared to the patient in question will get much more treatment accepted and will also get people who have not considered chiropractic yet. A picture is worth a thousand words—maybe—but the right picture created in the mind by the person himself (with the help of a chiropractor) is worth whatever you want it to be.

Mata: To quote a good chiropractic friend: When patients see this, they get it. When they get it, they stay. When they stay, they tell others. It’s as simple as that.

What percentage of a chiropractor’s annual budget should be spent on patient education, and why?

Goldsmith: Chiropractors must track the results of each of their marketing departments and determine for themselves what is providing a strong return on investment. The actual percentage is better decided by the individual practice with guidance from a personal coaching firm that can evaluate the personal style and goals of the chiropractor. In-house marketing has been proven repeatedly to be the most cost-effective program for reaching into your community to build your practice. Turn your patients into educated ambassadors for chiropractic and you.

Mackison: This would be very dependent on each individual practice. I don’t think there is a set formula for calculating the exact amount to spend on each patient. I think the most important thing is to have a few well-done materials that tell your message without confusing the patient with too many materials. If it is products to support their care, have a few quality wellness products that will allow you to provide the added care that they may need.

Flasch: Any idea of a fixed allocation could get a chiropractor into big trouble.

It’s like telling a student how many hours he should study to get good grades. Some students never study and get quite good grades; others study a lot and barely make it. There are dozens of different circumstances surrounding every practice owner. Getting patients well and doctors making money demands synergy of personnel, marketing, public relations, coordination, and effective treatment.

Mata: Most of the patient-education products out there are relatively inexpensive. Even if a chiropractor spent $1,000 every other month on only patient-education materials, it would be great! And in such a case, it’s still very little compared to the benefit.

The return on any patient-education device or materials is always the first thing that is underestimated. However, the budget for education materials should be right up there with payroll and the rest of the bills.

How should chiropractors go about finding patient-education materials that best reflect their practice philosophies?

Goldsmith: Finding these tools is as simple as asking your successful colleagues or management coaches, reading magazines, and going to seminars. Be curious and actually stop at a booth and meet with the sales consultants; surf the Web; or pick up a phone and learn, learn, learn. Finding the tools is only part of the equation. You must test them by quizzing your patients. Don’t stop doing what works just because you’re now busy. Patient education leaps over the hurdles to growing a practice.

Mackison: I think the best way is for the doctor to think like the patient. If it is reception-area materials, spend some time sitting in your reception area and looking at how materials are displayed. Read the materials that you do have available and see if they really support your thoughts and philosophies for your practice. If not, do your research to find materials and products that will strengthen your education process for your patients and support the care that you are providing.

Flasch: Pictures, charts, videos, etc sometimes get the philosophy of the practitioner across. But it is actually not too important. Anyone can package a “great philosophy.” What counts is that the patient recognizes an already dysfunctional lifestyle to which he has become accustomed, and even more importantly, how much worse this lifestyle will become in the future without the chiropractor’s help. Doctors/staff learning to “paint the picture” gets the patient on the road to health.

Mata: Simple. Look and ye shall find, and nowadays, you don’t have to look too hard. Magazines, journals, the Internet, conventions, and seminars—just like a shiny new sports car, as soon as you see it, you know its for you. The same goes for patient-education materials and devices. CP

Reference
1. Barnes P, Powell-Griner E, McFann K, Nahin R. Complementary and alternative medicine use among adults: United States, 2002. Advanced Data from Vital and Health Statistics. Washington DC: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Number 343; May 27, 2004.