Staff Management

Discussing Case Presentations with Your Staff

By Amir Khoshnevis, OD

I recall hearing the phrase in a great lecture that has served me well over the years: “I’m constantly running into the brilliant light of the obvious.”We often find the answers to life’s questions when we finally stop long enough to think and evaluate the situation. This belief once again proved true when I was reminded of a flaw in the internal staff development systems in our practice.

In an effort to improve patient care and experience, we’re always working on ways to improve efficiency, communication, offerings, amenities, and most importantly, staff development. The last one, staff development, is often focused on technical knowledge and general education. While a solid foundation is necessary, we often do not take advantage of the many opportunities sitting right in our chairs to teach what’s most prominent in your practice relevant to your patient demographics. I can’t think of a better reason to create brief case presentations. How many glaucoma, dry eye, diabetic, or anterior and posterior disease cases do you see per week? Do you use specialty contact lenses and other ocular devices to treat your patients? How often have you truly gone back to the staff, especially those directly involved in patient care, to present the case, logic behind your treatment and outcomes?

When we take this approach to staff development, we are investing in the overall patient care capacity of the practice. Seeing the result of patient care can serve as a great reminder of the purpose behind their hard work. When a staff member takes a screening retinal photograph and notices an abnormality on the image, we should ask them to record the chart number in order to discuss the case at the next staff meeting, or at a convenient time for the group. This is just one example of the many instances where staff performs many tasks but never learns about the incredible care we provide to our patients. As one of my staff members mentioned, when we teach them more about the retinal lesion (for example), they will be more aware of the importance of proper imaging, patient management and practice promotion.

How do you take advantage of learning opportunities in your practice? Do you use case study presentations in office meetings as way to teach staff? Are there any other creative learning strategies that have worked for you?

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