Why does a person choose healthcare as a profession? It is because he/ she has the inherent desire to make lives better for others. As a dedicated experience physician who has won accolades for your commitment and hearts for your selfless care, we know that you must have taken every precaution to ensure that your patients have comfort at every step of their healthcare journey.

This experience of your potential and current clients right from the time they go through your website till the time of post-recovery is termed as “Patient experience”. Patient experience can help you gain word-of-mouth publicity, good reviews, great long-term brand equity and reputation and enhanced patient volumes or footfall. Thus, it will not be wrong to say that patient experience can directly or indirectly influence your success.

1. Design a wonderful website

Your hospital’s website is the first connect that your potential clients have with your hospital. Ensure that your website makes a lasting impression on your clients by making it interactive, informative and interesting. Today’s patients are web-savvy and visit your website to gain information about your services, facilities, reputation, expertise, technology etc. Potential clients can be put off if your website is not user-friendly and easily navigable. Ensure that all the information and content shared is accurate and acceptable by all sections of the society.

2. No more queues

Nowadays, time has become the most priceless commodity. Nobody is willing to wait…Surveys have proven that patients are put off by long delays in appointment taking, waiting rooms, billing counters etc. Cut down on time in waiting rooms by scheduling appointments as per slots. This will reduce crowding in the waiting rooms and reception area too, especially essential now after suffering through a pandemic. Make the billing and the insurance collection section efficient too so that queues are averted for this work too.

3. Invest in a reliable hospital management system

 Hospitals give rise to loads and loads of paperwork. It can be an array of things like clinical diagnoses, earlier history, laboratory reports, admission notes, inter-departmental transfers, bills, financial records etc.

These have to be collated and kept carefully for further reference, insurance purposes or to build case history. This can be cumbersome and time-consuming.  If you invest in a hospital management system, you patients and their family members can get access to information, records and data on their cell phones without any hassle or trouble. This information can be shared with their doctors or retrieved whenever needed in the future with just a click. This ease and compliance of information sharing, storage and retrieval can enhance patient experience. Hospital management systems facilitate seamless and speedy transfer, storage and sharing of data without fear of error or privacy breach.

4. Add ambiance and comfort

Most patients find hospitals to be worrying as being ill is a stressful time. Hence, attempt should be made to alleviate this anxiety by adding an aura of comfort and ambience to your hospital’s receptions, waiting rooms, patient rooms and common areas. Decorate your rooms with elegance. Add a natural touch with potted plants, landscape paintings, fountains etc. Use bright or soothing colours like light shades of pink, blue, yellow for the walls to elevate mood. Ensure that the rooms are well-ventilated, airy and smell fresh. Play calming music in the waiting rooms. Keep some magazines, newspapers or books to make waiting times less boring and monotonous. A play area for children can also keep kids entertained. Ensure that the sofas and the chairs are comfortable, clean and provision is made for social distancing.

5. Take safety measures

Patients expect a hospital to be a safe haven. If you make committed efforts to enhance safety, your patients will certainly be happy and impressed.

Some safety measures

• Stop the spread of infections with periodic sanitization and sterilization.
• Keep handwash dispensers in every floor.
• Take fire safety measures, Ensure that a fire drill is carried out every month.
• See that the corridors are clutter free to prevent accidents and slips.

• Install support systems like hand grips, bannisters and handles in washrooms and patient rooms for the convenience of movement-restricted patients.
• Use non-slip tiles in flooring.
• UV lights and air purification can use in a system to spread of germs.
• Use signages on every floor to guide patients and create awareness.

6. Recruit a team with good interpersonal skill

Healthcare is a sector which requires a team not only with academic qualifications and performance capability but also loads and loads of patience and empathy. Be sure to recruit a workforce which is high on emotional quotient besides on intellectual ability. They must be able to handle stressful situations with patience and confidence. They must also be able to handle patients with understanding and compassion and make them comfortable.

To summarize, patient experience is the most critical factor that can determine the success of your hospital. It can have a drastic impact on the perception, reputation and brand image of your organization. If you wish to set a benchmark in patient care, you will have to augment patient experience at each and every stage of your hospital’s lifecycle. If you need any help in this regard, be sure to contact Hospertz, a leading healthcare consultancy firm of India. We have a panel of experts who can design a custom-made strategy for enhancing patient experience at every stage.

Blog has been written by Dr. Vishal Jadhav, a veteran in the field of hospital consultancy with a rich experience of more than 20 years and founder of the Healthcare Consultancy. Firm, Hospertz.

Dr. Vishal Jadhav, Director
hospertz@gmail.com
+91 9867712705/ 9820833149