What is healthcare success?

This is another in a series of blog posts by Dhru Shah. He is a specialist periodontist in the UK who runs the influential Dentinal Tubules education platform. His views are valuable and worth considering.  This time, he looks at the definition of healthcare success

What is Healthcare? 

The word ‘care’ is the welfare or interest of something or someone else. Healthcare = someone else’s health.  Let’s think about this in several steps.

Step 1. 

To prioritize someone’s health, you must think of yourself second. Focusing on my awards, followers, and million-dollar practice indicates self-interest. Ego has no place in this.

Step 2. 

Humility means prioritizing my work over myself. Show some. Your outcomes shape your behavior. When you focus on yourself, your actions become self-centered. Be humble.

Step 3. 

When your ego is set aside, you become more open to listening. Therefore, pay attention to what they are saying and truly understand.

Step 4. 

Revise your marketing approach. Marketing isn’t just about claiming to be the ‘best southeast practice of the year’ or showcasing your achievements; that’s self-centered and driven by ego. Instead, effective marketing focuses on communicating the problems you can solve for others. Empathetic marketing is far more impactful. To achieve this, you need to effectively complete steps one and two before delving deeply into step three.

Step 5.

 Effective marketing fosters a sense of understanding and trust. When they know that you understand their needs, they will approach you with confidence.

Step 6. 

Fulfill the trust. Trust is defined as “when someone makes something important to them vulnerable to your actions.” They have placed something significant in your hands. Honor that trust by converting your good intentions into observable actions. 

Do your best and use your full capabilities for them.

Step 7.

Humility is essential. Remember, “My work is more important than I am.” Only when you embrace humility do you realize you are not perfect, which opens the door to continuous learning and improvement. This ongoing journey allows you to maximize your potential and give your best effort. Others will see and appreciate the humility and humanity you exhibit.

Step 8. 

Be rewarded automatically. This increases their trust in you. They value and reward your contributions. Ironically, your ego is fed as a side effect.

Step 9. 

True fulfilment comes from within. When you are fulfilled, external validation such as likes, followers, and awards becomes unnecessary.

Step 10. 

Take pride in being a healthcare professional and making an impact on society. Healthcare, humility, learning, constant improvement, fulfilment, trust… Think about it.