from the sponsor
Dr. Howard B. Purcell, Senior Director, The Vision Care Institute

Dear colleague,

What does it take to be a successful practitioner in the 21st century? Outstanding clinical skills are a must, but is that enough? Let me suggest that how you interact with your patients will have as much to do with your success as your treatment outcomes will.

I've spent the past 3 years asking patients how they choose their practitioners. Maybe more importantly, I've asked what it is that influences their decision to change doctors. Interestingly, most people believe all doctors have the basic clinical skills required — the price of entry, so to speak. As a result, they use other criteria to "judge" us. Consistently, the trait they identified most often was compassion. Although they expressed this desire in various ways, patients consistently said they want to feel that their doctors really care about them.

In the field of medicine where intellect is often held as the linchpin to success, it's essential that we listen carefully to what our patients are saying. We must continue to optimize our medical acumen, but that alone won't ensure our practice success. In the long run, how we treat our patients will be the determining factor. As Albert Einstein told us many years ago, "We should take care not to make the intellect our god. It has, of course, powerful muscles, but no personality. It cannot lead; it can only serve."

Think about the best doctor you ever had. What attributes set him or her apart?

Let me know what you think!