Maintaining Patient Trust and Confidence in the Wake of Covid-19 

Maintaining patient trust during and after the wake of Covid-19 is a battle many healthcare providers are finding challenging. At the top of the list is delivering accurate and personalized care at each visit, regardless of the reason for the appointment. With the pandemic of Covid-19 not seeming to end anytime soon, your approach to patient care is even more crucial. How will you maintain patient trust through this crisis? Here are some simple steps you can take to continue to ensure patient trust and confidence in the new year. 

Reassurance

Communication with your clients is a high priority. As a healthcare provider, you likely have updated state, federal and industry best practices and guidelines to ensure patient safety at your practice. A great way to reassure your clients is to update these guidelines on your website, in an email blast and to have clearly labeled signs in and around your practice. This is about continuous safety precautions. Even after Covid-19 is no longer a hot topic, you must make sure the safety of your clients is at the top of your communication priority list. 

Some healthcare providers take communication up another notch. You can opt to update your social media accounts with your practice’s safety guidelines. In addition, you can create a video to show off your safety guidelines and exactly how they are enacted. This is also a great way to interact with your community and take questions from your viewers. You can also take these questions and use them as content for your website. 

Guidelines Might Become Permanent

Moving forward, mitigation strategies for Covid-19 could become permanent. Some of the guidelines may not be considered standard operating procedures. For example, there are benefits to extra cleaning and sanitizing of the waiting room, while keeping supplies stocked and available for clients like hand sanitizer and masks.

Other changes that might be here to stay, include things like having less patients in your waiting room and having them wait in their cars if the room is full. You may also find it helpful to have different approaches for sick versus healthy patients, keeping people physically distant, etc. The evolution of the waiting room has changed a lot for many practices. 

Keeping a running list of your best practices, communication strategy and procedures will keep your office running at optimal levels during and after a pandemic. You can continually build on this list to maintain your effectiveness. This will help foster trust and maintain confidence with your clientele. 

Be Transparent

It is important to keep clear and transparent channels of communication that are easy to understand for all patients. For instance, your emails should match the tone of the information you have posted within the clinic or in a mailer. 

It is important that to maintain trust, your approach with any line of communication should always be compassionate and understanding. Your patients should be reassured of your office changes due to Covid-19 and all questions should be taken seriously. You may have also noticed a change from questions you received 9 months ago till now.

Keep in mind that you can share other pandemic strategies with your clients to ensure continued confidence. For instance, you can ensure your patients that you have adequate PPE and supplies. You can give updates on how supplies are received, medication is dispersed and that they should have access to adequate supplies when needed. 

Keep Up-To-Date with Online Reviews

Lastly, you want to be sure to monitor your practice’s online reviews on places like Google, Yelp, etc. For the best approach, be sure you are responding to any negative reviews with the chance to discuss the situation over the phone. Remember to be apologetic and understanding, but to also have a plan to resolve the issue at hand. Potential clients will read your reviews and how you respond can make or break your appeal. Always be kind, professional and have an approach to make a resolution. 

Final Thoughts

Maintaining patient trust and confidence in the wake and aftermath of Covid-19 has never been more vital. Many patients are going to be aware of how you communicate and it may determine their desire to continue as your patient. They will be interested in your ability to be compassionate, provide proper mitigation strategies and how you respond to any feedback.