FrontEnders Healthcare Services Pvt. Ltd

Public Relation is an evolving concept that is gaining a lot of importance in the hospital setup today.
That is so because of its vital role in communicating within the various departments of the hospital and to the outside world. Specifically speaking, with an increased focus on value-based care, the hospital and patient relationship assume paramount significance here for achieving patient satisfaction and building long-term reliable healthcare engagements.

The various entities in the healthcare chain including the society, patients, employees, caretakers, visitors, media, suppliers and medical personnel give their opinion and feedback on the care services. This influences the brand, reputation and competitiveness of the hospital for continued business sustenance. Therefore, there is a need for good public relations through communication mechanisms for begetting appreciation and goodwill from these valuable stakeholders.

Yet, there are a number of challenges faced by Healthcare Operations Management which call for the need of developing better public relations in hospitals by seeking the professional expertise of Healthcare Consulting Firms. Some of them are -

Contending with increased healthcare expenses and meeting the sophisticated demands of patients to avoid public criticism
Overcoming several hurdles for delivering quality care at affordable rates
Efficiently handling the professional management of the hospital
Monitoring and balancing the increased involvement of government agencies and consumer protection forums with respect to patient care and hospital internal management issues

Role of Public Relations at Hospitals

Assist the top management in clearly articulating the hospital’s policies, vision and mission to the outside world.
Help the various departments within to showcase a consistent image of the hospital for good publicity.
Suggest and improvise adoption of latest marketing techniques for maintaining the competitive edge.
Formulating and guiding the hospital staff training and retention activities to ensure that they are kept abreast with the latest medical technologies and reduce turnover.
Inculcate the correct communication mechanisms to the hospital management so as to reinstate the importance of courtesy, kindness, empathy and friendly approaches in patient care to provide a comfortable healing environment.
Enable the hospitals to be proactive in epidemic management by clearly communicating preventive methods to the patients and their families, installing the necessary medical equipment for screening and taking precautions to effectively treat the affected patients without ignorance.
Advise the hospitals to maintain and upgrade their infrastructure to be compatible with the latest industry standards.
Recommend the new relevant healthcare technology updates and processes to the hospital so that the patients are benefitted with the best treatment approaches.
Supervise the hospital in maintaining proper hygiene standards and waste disposal management so as to maintain a clean environment and prevent infections and diseases.
Deploy the appropriate communication methods in all possible ways to aid the hospital in

Conveying its message to the public
Dealing with the media
Ensuring smooth intramural functioning and internal operations.

This is done by

Providing relevant information to patients, families and visitors for inquiries, registration, health status at discharge, follow-ups
Facilitating an open house approach to address visitor queries without disturbing the routine care functions.
Using easily comprehensive signage boards and floor plans at strategic points and providing information brochures and visitor guides for familiarizing the hospital environment.
Improvising proper methods to record and track complaints, suggestions and compliments through emails, collection boxes and registers.
Improving public interactions through health fairs, awareness programs, healthcare campaigns, voluntary services and donation camps.
Advising the administrative staff on overcoming shortcomings in hospital functions.
Advertising through social media, billboards, newsletters and articles for better branding.
Conducting patient satisfaction surveys and general opinion polls to improve care quality.

Thus Hospital Public Relations helps in identifying ways for enhancing the care ways which translates into satisfied and happier patients.

Say the word "nurse" and you immediately think of not just the white uniform and cap, but of that kind look, caring hands and that soothing touch, all of which combine to coin the term "empathy". Yes, nurses have been synonymous with empathy and caring since time immemorial. They are the main link in the chain called hospital--patient relationship as they are the ones who are in close contact with patients. So the reputation of a hospital also depends on the quality of its nursing staff and the empathy they extend to patients.

Every prestigious hospital understands the importance of patient satisfaction and knows full well that this depends mainly on the nurse-patient interaction. This is why seasoned healthcare consulting firms are enlisted by hospitals to train their nursing staff on offering empathetic service to patients.

The role of empathy in the services offered by nurses and caregivers is critical for healthcare quality management and is highlighted below for better understanding.

Why is empathy an integral component of the role of nurses?

Of all the qualities of a good nurse, empathy is most important because

Nurses are the caregivers who attend to the patient closely
They should intuitively understand the patient's state of health, mind and of their needs.
Nurses are often at the forefront and must bear the bad news about the patient's condition or even mounting hospital expenses.
The main job of a nurse is to help the physician to heal the patient. To achieve this, nurses must first extend care and concern to the patient above everything else.
Emotional support can help the patient faster than medicines and this should be realized by nurses.
Above all, nurses must understand the importance of patient satisfaction and empathy is vital in providing this.

Empathy in the importance of patient satisfaction

A McKinsey Report reveals that empathy drives patient satisfaction more than anything else. Among the many factors like quality of healthcare, room environment, hospital facilities, etc., the respondents voted "Nurse Empathy" above all other criteria.

This is proof to show that empathy rank the highest in the importance of patient satisfaction and nurses must be trained to offer that.

Why do nurses need training to offer empathy to patients?

Most often, people assume that empathy comes naturally for nurses. But this is not true, Young nurses are too inexperienced to understand the pain and anguish of the patients. The old nurses have attended to so many patients that they are numbed by that experience. This does not mean empathy can be done away with.

Empathy is the foremost responsibility of a nurse and he/she must be trained to offer it fully. Empathy is nothing but "putting oneself in the patient's shoes" and envisaging the situation. This training can be offered by a qualified healthcare consulting firm to improve the hospital-patient relationship.

What empathy means for the hospital, patient and nurse?

For the Patient
"For a patient, a little empathy can make a lot of difference and be a life-changing experience."
Yes, research by the Massachusetts General Hospital shows that an empathetic rapport with patients increased their cooperation and improved their outcome in chronic conditions like diabetes, asthma, hypertension etc.

Patients require a little empathy form nurse and caregiver and this alleviates their anxiety about their medical condition and even their trauma to a great extent. The thought that someone understands and empathizes can improve patient adherence by 12% as shown by the MedCare Review.

For the Hospital
"Empathy is a skill reflected in their hospital ratings, reviews and reputation. "
How the patient perceives his experience at the hospital says a lot about the hospital's calibre and empathy is critical in establishing it.

For the Nurse
"For a nurse, empathy ensures job satisfaction and provide a feeling of contribution to the society. It adds value to their work and enhances their self-esteem."
Nurses may be trained to be more empathetic and sensitive to patient's needs, calls, machine alarms and health warnings. This can prevent accidents, falls, mishaps and medication error and help save the lives of patients.

Empathy is epitome in healthcare quality management. Enlist the services of a professional healthcare consulting firm to entrench it in the nursing staff at your hospital.

Navigation

Importance of Public Relation at Hospital

Role of Empathy for Nurses & Caregivers

Why is empathy an integral component of the role of nurses?

Empathy in the importance of patient satisfaction

Why do nurses need training to offer empathy to patients?

What empathy means for the hospital, patient and nurse?

Instagram