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Jul-Sep2004-12(3)
BOOK REVIEW
Pamper your
patients
Sunil K
Pandya
Aniruddha Malpani, Anjali MalpaniSuccessful private practice-winning strategies for doctors.New Delhi: UBS Publishers Distributors Pvt. Ltd., 2004. price not mentioned pp 314
Drs Aniruddha and Anjali Malpani wear many hats.
They operate a clinic to help infertile couples. They have set up a library
where lay persons can access information on any aspect of health and medical
care. They write in a various journals, on a wide range of topics. This is their
fourth book. They have also set up a management consultancy on medical practice.
Starting with Dr John Shaw Billings' quotation,
made in a different context ('The education of the doctor which goes on after he
has his degree, is, after all, the most important part of his education.'), the
authors guide doctors striving to build a successful private practice.
Thirty-eight chapters cover such topics as
'Designing your clinic', skills in business management, financial planning,
hiring and training employees, crisis management, medical ethics, etc. There are
even suggestions on how you can make your marriage work, bring up your children
and be a happy doctor.
The readers are advised to attract media attention.
We are told that many doctors now employ public relations firms to ensure that
their names appear in the media as often as possible. The authors do not
disapprove of this practice. Free demonstrations to the media, inviting local
celebrities to such events, using hospitals to which the doctor is attached as
marketing partners, ensuring the loyalty of doctors referring patients by
congratulating them and even their children on their accomplishments and
befriending staff members in the clinics of referring physicians are some of the
tips offered. Doctors are advised to develop themselves as a brand name.
Arguments are offered on why advertising yourself is not unethical. In the
chapter entitled 'Winning your patients' loyalty' we are told to apologise to
the patient after listening to her complaint whether we are right or wrong. 'The
patient is seeking an apology. Offer it so the patient can move forward. Pamper
your patients as much as possible.'
Simple English and a chatty manner of writing make for easy reading. Bulleted lists emphasise key points. Wit and humour are scattered throughout the volume. The preface itself, is a chuckle-raiser. 'A hundred years ago...the successful doctor was said to need three things: a top hat to give him authority, a paunch to give him dignity and piles to give him an anxious expression.' Dr Hemant Morparia's many fans will find a generous sample of his cartoons. I was confused by the placement of the cartoons as they bear no relationship to the preceeding or succeeding text. One cartoon has been printed twice (on pages 248 and 257).
Simple English and a chatty manner of writing make for easy reading. Bulleted lists emphasise key points. Wit and humour are scattered throughout the volume. The preface itself, is a chuckle-raiser. 'A hundred years ago...the successful doctor was said to need three things: a top hat to give him authority, a paunch to give him dignity and piles to give him an anxious expression.' Dr Hemant Morparia's many fans will find a generous sample of his cartoons. I was confused by the placement of the cartoons as they bear no relationship to the preceeding or succeeding text. One cartoon has been printed twice (on pages 248 and 257).
Statements such as 'As many as one-third of all
doctors report that medical practice leaves them dissatisfied...' leave the
reader puzzled as there is no evidence to support them. The book has an index
but lacks a bibliography.
While I find the authors' suggestions on the
organisation of a clinic, streamlining practical, day-to-day tasks, maintaining
records, training one's staff and improving their morale useful, I disagree with
their recommen-dations on making myself popular, advertising my capabilities and
ensuring that I stay in the limelight all the time. I also disagree with the
suggestion that I need to pamper my patients.
My teachers taught me that I belong to an
honourable profession with a strong code of ethics and must balance my rights
with responsibilities. They advised that I need to be a competent physician and
must treat my patients to the best of my abilities, concentrating on their
well-being at all times. Empathy with them will ensure that I treat them as I
would like to be treated, were I in their place. They also taught me that if I
performed my duties properly, patients would seek me out. I was cautioned
against the temptation to project myself to patients, family physicians and
colleagues in any manner except through my work. I have benefited greatly from
these lessons. If it ever becomes necessary for me to use the tactics that
dominate commerce, I would prefer leaving the profession of medicine and turning
to some other occupation.
SUNIL K PANDYA,Neurosurgeon, Jaslok Hospital & Research Centre, Dr G V
Deshmukh Marg, Mumbai 400026, India. e-mail:shunil@vsnl.com