As a chiropractor, you know that the Report of Findings is one of your essential responsibilities. The ROF is a crucial step in every patient’s care plan – it informs them about their condition, the plan for their recovery, and their expected outcomes.
Preparation is the key to ROFs that work! A successful ROF improves the patient’s understanding of their care plan, engages them thoroughly in the work you’re doing together, and leads to better outcomes! Here are some tips for creating great ROFs:
- Review all your patient’s information thoroughly. Their medical history, examination results, and imaging studies should all be familiar to you before you begin.
- Prepare all the necessary equipment and materials you’ll need to ensure your patient thoroughly understands their condition and care plan.
- During the diagnostic phase, educate your patient on what you’re doing, how chiropractic care works, what a subluxation is, and any other basic information that will help them to understand your ROF. Provide written information and discuss it with your patient prior to your ROF session.
- Ask the patient’s spouse, or another family member, to attend the ROF session. Be sure to explain the important role family support plays in helping your patient stay engaged and achieve a positive outcome.
- Think through your presentation before you begin. (DC Trainings can help you create a format for your ROFs that really works!) Look for alternatives to any medical terminology you might be tempted to use, and plan ways to make your most important points twice.
- Remember that people learn in different ways. Provide written information, and use visual tools as you speak. Ensure that any home care instructions will be both written and discussed.
- Think about the questions your patient or their family are likely to have, and be prepared to answer them.
- Plan how to express your empathy and concern. Your ROF session is the perfect opportunity to earn your patient’s trust and ensure their engagement in their care plan. Remember, expressing that same empathy to family members will help your patient get the support they need for a positive outcome!
If you use these tips as you prepare for your ROFs, you can ensure your patient’s understanding of their condition, their care plan, their expected outcomes, and how their family members can help them achieve a successful result.
DC Trainings can help you achieve better outcomes for your patients and your practice! Learn how Dr. Sawyer plans for successful ROFs – check out his free webinar on Preparing For ROFs here!
If you’re ready to level up your practice, join DC Trainings. You’ll get access to seminars, videos, documents, scripts, goals tracking, one-on-one help, and more. Contact us here to learn more, or register for our next free webinar!