Does giving a reason why really make patients more likely to say yes?
It does, and the science is almost funny. Ellen Langer ran a study in 1978 at a Xerox machine, the one everyone calls the copier study. A researcher cut to the front of the line. When she just asked to use the machine, about 60 percent let her. When she added a reason, because I am in a rush, compliance jumped to 94 percent. Then they tested a nonsense reason, because I have to make some copies, which says nothing at all, and compliance stayed almost as high. The word because did the heavy lifting, not the logic behind it. So in your patient conversations, attach a reason to every request. Why the spouse should come back. Why this visit matters. People want a because, even a thin one. Give them one and watch resistance drop.
If the answers you are finding here resonate with you, my team and I work with a small group of clients each year. The next step is a complimentary Discovery Consultation and Practice Review with Dr. McAnally.