The levels of patient expectations are increasing day by day without finding a sate point. The healthcare industry has already become a service based industry, forcing the hospitals and healthcare practices live up to these expectations in order to thrive.
Patient Satisfaction is the key here and it is often misunderstood as putting mere a smile on a patients’ face through serving them satisfactorily. However, there is always room left for an enhanced patient experience both inside and outside the hospital. And, to be that hospital who delivers the highest patient experience is not an overnight task.
A hospital is constantly expected to address the stated and unstated requirements of the patient. It requires consistent efforts from every employee in the system to keep up with the ever increasing patients’ demands. In this discussion, the most focused aspects are operations, quality patient flow and treatment with convenience. It is not exaggerated to state that most of the hospitals who head in this ball game have already ensured these aspects are well managed.
Building a sense of trust and positive relationship with a patient requires effort that extends beyond the hospital. Very few hospitals employ this and currently heading the healthcare ballgame. Here are 5 tips how you can add up your healthcare practice to this list.
- Add Personal Touch to Your Services – Healthcare is a sensitive industry and the staff who are the face of the practices require the highest levels of intrapersonal skills while interacting with the patients and their attenders. There would be instances where the patients may feel they are vulnerable and hospitals should know how to tackle the situation and gain trust. Take efforts to make the patient feel comfortable and are being treated ‘personally’.
- Spare Time to ‘Listen’ the Concerns – A typical day in a hospital environment would be stressful and every staff member experiences it. However, irrespective of their busy schedule, the doctors, the paramedics and every other player in the system should listen to the concerns of a patient and try to address it instantly. Being in a jeopardy, patients expect to be heard and address appropriately.
- Send Reminders – Sending reminders about the appointment at regular intervals gives a good impression on the hospital. In addition, this method significantly reduces the ‘No Show-up’ numbers at the hospital. Include thank you updates post receiving the patient at the hospital as it conveys how well-connected the hospital is.
- Department based Patient Feedback – Effective feedback mechanism should help every department to know where they are! Rather than requesting the patient to provide feedback on the overall hospital experience, set up your questioner in such a way that it reveals which department is doing well and which has scope for improvement.
- Be and Become More Personalized – In many hospitals, it is the doctors who address the patients by name. However, mandating it to all patients and the staff who interacts with the patient as it gives more personalized experience. Also, make it as a practice of following up with their health condition post discharge. Calling the patient after the treatment and discharge to know the health condition of their own would a humanistic gesture that could build a trust-based relationship.
Being proactive in many areas of your hospital and beyond it creates a special bond between you and your patient. As stated earlier, gaining patient loyalty and satisfaction is not a day’s task and it could not be achieved overnight. Take consistent effort to study the changing patients’ expectations and bring the effective measures which ensure the ideal and optimum patient experience.
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