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Prescribe with authority
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Recently, we went shopping for a new automobile. If you are like me, you know just how painful of an experience this can be. Sure, once you’re in the driver’s seat it’s pretty nice. Few can argue with the allure of a new automobile – the gadgets, quiet ride, enhanced performance and even that new car smell. However, getting to the driver’s seat can be just short of maddening.
First, there are so many models to choose from. Then, there are all the options to consider. And finally, there is the economics – negotiating the best purchase price and securing a favorable lease.
Good consumers
In preparing for our mission we were good consumers. We test drove various models, read automobile publications, studied consumer ratings and consulted the Internet for the true dealer’s invoice cost. In essence, we wanted to be sure we knew it all before our encounter. What happened at the automobile dealership was a revelation of sorts for us. There was no high-pressure, obnoxious sales person. There were no attempts to put us in the vehicle of their dreams. And there was no wheeling and dealing on pricing.
Instead, the sales associate was friendly, courteous and knowledgeable. He listened to our wishes, discussed our options and then made recommendations. The revelation came when we realized that our purchasing decisions were predicated more on his recommendations than on our preconceived notions. In the final analysis, it was evident that despite our best efforts to become automobile authorities, he knew the business better than we did.
Admittedly, I shudder to even draw a comparison between eye doctors and an automobile dealership. Certainly, from our point of view, the two experiences are worlds apart. However, from a patient’s perspective, there are some similarities.
Choices, options, finances
First, there are so many choices – spectacles, contact lenses, refractive surgery. Then, there are the options – monthly or daily replacement contact lenses, bifocals or progressive multifocal spectacles. And then there are the financial issues. Patients just want to be sure they are receiving good value for their dollar.
All of these choices – while seemingly mundane to us – can be confusing and anxiety inducing for many of our patients. It’s no wonder why today’s patient wants to be better informed and in control of their health care decisions. Unfortunately, as we learned during our recent automobile-purchasing excursion, it’s really not that easy to become a knowledgeable consumer. In fact, some of what our patients learn from family and friends, magazines, television and the Web is anything but accurate.
A new era of practice
So, what does all of this have to do with being an optometrist? Well, for starters, it’s a sobering reminder that we practice in a new era. A time in which patients have access to tremendous amounts of information. Our job is to assist patients in deciphering this information and in making it applicable for them. Second, it underscores the fact that choice can be both good and overwhelming. While patients may want to understand the advantages and disadvantages of each alternative, they need to know which option is best for them.
Finally, above all, it’s another reminder of just how important it is to prescribe with authority. After all, regardless of how much information patients gather, they still want – and need — our professional recommendation.
Whether we’re prescribing a contact lens care product, spectacle lens option or anti-allergy therapeutic agent, we should do so with good clinical rationale and conviction. Anything less and patients may leave the office confused, uncertain and wondering whether they should visit another “dealer.”