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Importance of First Impressions

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Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D.C. · Sep 14, 1916

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 93, No. 46.

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Importance of First Impressions

By Dr. R. S. Ingersoll

Paper Read by Dr. R. S. Ingersoll at the Madison Convention, Madison, Wis.
THE subject of this paper was suggested to me by a recital by one of my patients of her experience at an institution where her stay was limited to twenty-four hours, rather than two months, on account of the first impressions she received. This was brought home to me in a forceful way, for the first impression we made upon this same person was unfavorable, and had I not at once gone to the hotels and searched until I found her, we should probably have suffered the same fate as the other sanitarium.
I will cite our own experience in detail, as it emphasizes the importance of wide-awake drivers for the automobile, and of keeping buildings in good repair. Our driver failed to find the man and his wife at the station, and they came out to the sanitarium in a hired conveyance, and planned with the matron to have a trial dinner. It was raining when they arrived, and while waiting they were given seats on the veranda near the dining-room. Unfortunately there had been no recent rains, and the roof leaked in several places. Imagine the matron's surprise when the dining-room girl came and said they had told her they were going, and had gone.
No doubt we have all had similar experiences, and I mention these things simply for the purpose of bringing to our minds in a more or less forceful way the necessity of preparedness, to the extent that first impressions are good, and that each new impression may be favorable, and increase rather than lessen confidence in us.
I am sure we are all agreed that this is the thing to do. I believe we should have higher ideals than we have had, and should make every effort to come up to the ideal. What sort of ideal should we have? I realize it is easy to criticize, but difficult to remedy existing conditions. I propose to make a few suggestions, hoping that the discussion will bring out others, and emphasize points of importance.
First, we must secure the patient before we can make any impression on him. How is this done? By far the larger number of those who come to our sanitariums do so on the recommendation of one or more former patients. Hence, the necessity of general preparedness in order that every patient may go from us willing and glad to speak a good word for us.
When the written inquiry comes, either as a result of the influence of former patients, doctors' recommendations, or advertisements, the business office should immediately put in tactful, telling strokes to influence the patient to come, bearing in mind all the time the necessity of maintaining full integrity before God. It is far better, to my mind, to acknowledge unpreparedness than to claim to be able to care for a certain case, if the claim cannot be sustained by the real facts.
This effort to influence the patient to come should not cease with sending literature and replying to questions. A short system of follow-up letters, carefully written and judiciously used, will tell in increased patronage. This follow-up system should not be carried to the extreme, but should be limited to three or four letters.
When once the patient has decided to come to the institution, a little careful correspondence and questioning into his real needs will often enable us to select a room for him, so that on his arrival he will find everything arranged, and can be registered and taken to his room with a promptness that will increase his confidence in the institution.
Perhaps the impressions that need be guarded with great care, are those made upon a patient when he arrives at the railway station, and from that time forward until he is comfortably located, and is receiving his regular daily treatments. To this end the chauffeur should be a congenial, affable man who will do his best to accommodate and look after the comfort of the patient until his arrival at the institution. It should be the duty of the chauffeur to stay by the new patient until he is in the hands of the roomingclerk, or of a call boy who will take him at once to the clerk.
It is very desirable in institutions which can afford to have a good call service that a call boy meet the patient at the automobile, and immediately take charge of satchels, extra wraps, and umbrellas, lead the way to the register, and put the patient in charge of the rooming clerk, who should give him his first attention. In the event that the clerk is already busy, the call boy should see to it that the patient is seated and made comfortable during the time he has to wait. We have all had experiences in going to a hotel and being properly met by porters who take our baggage and escort us to the register. I have no doubt that we have decided to stay at a hotel overnight, or longer, because of the way we were met at the carriage and made to feel at home by the porters and clerks. I think we should be no less courteous than institutions of the world; on the contrary, I believe that we should be more careful to make our patrons feel at home.
After the patient has been assigned to his room, the different department heads should be notified of his arrival. The physician should either examine the patient immediately or make an appointment for the same at an early date. If the initial examination has to be postponed until the day following, it is well for the patient to have some light, safe treatment the evening of his arrival, so that he will feel that his case is receiving attention, and that he is not losing time.
I believe that if we give sufficient study to this question of first impressions, we shall also see that the patient receives proper care during his entire stay with us, and he will go away from the institution feeling that it has been good to be with us, and he will recommend others to come. To this end I submit this paper, with the hope that it will create discussion which will mean increased patronage and greater efficiency for the institutions represented here.

Discussions

Some of the discussions on Dr. Ingersoll's paper are given herewith:—
DR. T. J. EVANS: The first and last impressions that a patient receives are the ones that are fixed in his memory. I like to see a patient so well pleased that he will send somebody else. I do not object to seeing a person leave the sanitarium if he is going to send somebody else to take his place.
DR. D. H. KRESS: I think that we should be careful not merely regarding the first impressions. Every impression should be good, and we should reserve the best for the close of the feast. It is necessary to keep before the helpers Christian principles, and what patients are there for, and to bring into the institution a real spirit of service. Anticipate the wishes of the patient. I do not believe in being pleasant merely for commercial purposes.
DR. H. W. MILLER: I have come to the conclusion that poor service is the result of wrong organization. This is true not alone with the call boys. It is the same in the bathrooms, with reference to tray service, and in every other detail of the institution. We need more carefully to consider proper system.
ELDER F. M. WILCOX: It seems to me that sometimes there is danger of there coming into our sanitariums a feeling that we do too much for a patient. He needs the touch of humanity. It is our duty not to treat him from the professional standpoint merely, but as a fellow mortal. I do not believe that we can adopt any system of organization in our sanitariums that will wholly meet this need of making a patient feel at home; the workers here today must get under that burden. We ought to do more to improve the social atmosphere of our sanitariums. Often the only thing that a patient can do is to sit down by some other patient and tell him his woes. I believe we should arrange some program for every hour of the day, to keep his mind off himself. We must give a patient a good impression while he is with us, and we shall gain friends for the institution. We need to take broad views, and send our patients away happy.
C. E. RICE: A lady told me she was glad that she had found an institution that had a soul. The service was offered so willingly and conscientiously that it made a great impression upon her. It should be so. The question that we should consider, is not what we get from the patient, but what we give him. If we would interest ourselves more in that phase,—in seeing that the patients get their money's worth,—we should be more successful in our work.
DR. J. D. SHIVELY: Our sanitarium work should be placed on a basis higher than that of commercialism.
MR. W. C. FOREMAN: We must have the closest coöperation, from the superintendent down to the one who does the most menial service. We should forget ourselves entirely, and put the spirit of Christ into our work. We are laboring not to make a good showing before the board or before the brethren, but for the souls of men.
DR. F. A. LOOP: The doctor and the manager must be in harmony. They must work together to make the work a success. This, I believe, is the keynote of service.
C. M. CHRISTIANSEN: We need to exemplify true service, otherwise we cannot lead the sanitarium families. The lack of service is many times due to a lack of organization. We should put responsibilities on the heads of departments. They are the partners in the work; we are the servants.