Over the last decades, the healthcare industry has experienced drastic changes. For instance, the industry switched from a paper-based system to record patient information to electronic medical records to improve productivity and efficiency. Now the industry has faced another quintessence change that the time demands, i.e., the digital patient experience.
The regulatory authorities have not initiated the current course of change—quite the contrary, the growing consumerism that the industry has witnessed over the last decades. The difference is evident in the rise of healthcare apps, wearables, walk-in clinics and much more.
Patient experience is integral for success in the healthcare industry. Various factors constitute the patient experience, such as good communication, easy access to information, scheduling a timely appointment, etc. Technology is essential in smooth running, and social media is vital in enhancing the patient experience.
Let us discuss some strategies to enhance the patient experience on digital experience.
1. A robust social media presence
A solid social media presence is one way to improve patient experience. As a healthcare giver, you can share different content on social media. For instance;
- You may use social media to spread awareness about what the organization offers to patients needing medical care.
- You may also share information about the advanced technology and treatment techniques your care facility offers to the patients.
- You can live stream on social media addressing the patients and answering their questions. Meanwhile, you can follow social media influencers in the niche, such as doctors, nurses, etc.
In a nutshell, by maintaining a solid social media presence, you can communicate with the patients about the healthcare facility, its services, and how it differs from other healthcare facilities.
You can also use social media platforms to interact with patients by assisting them in achieving health goals. Furthermore, you can work toward creating a community on social media to improve health, irrespective of medical conditions. For instance, chronic disease, severe health conditions or the topic of fitness and lifestyle changes to improve health. You can create a caring community with assistance from social media.
2. Engaging the audience on social media
Many healthcare facilities have realized the potential of social media platforms and have begun using them to their advantage. They have adopted digital media marketing techniques to engage with the audience by sharing video content, blog posts, email newsletters, and much more.
Furthermore, healthcare facilities have also realized that when engaging the audience about healthcare, they seem to be more productive. As a result, they can receive more significant benefits from the services available. In the end, such an approach would improve health and give patients a better experience with the facility or from a physician.
Content marketing techniques are accepted norms in the healthcare industry. Many healthcare facilities and clinics often face the challenges of creating engaging content to interact with patients.
Here are a few suggestions while creating content to post on social media platforms. For instance;
- Create content that engages the audience that they want to share. For instance, you can create a healthcare quiz, images, videos, podcasts and educational content that engages the audience or interests them.
- Explain complex ideas with the assistance of infographics to the audience. As a result, they can understand complex concepts with ease. Such an approach is beneficial as the audience does not have to read lengthy blog posts.
- Create content with which the audience can interact—for instance, a calorie counter, tracking activity, etc.
- Create a unique logo for the healthcare facility that is easily recognizable and emerges as a symbol of the healthcare facility.
3. Use patient appointment scheduling software
Appointment scheduling can be a difficult and time-consuming task, especially for busy doctors. But with Picktime, an easy doctor’s appointment scheduling software, it can be a breeze.
With Picktime, you can easily schedule appointments and take payments all in one place. The software is user-friendly and makes it easy to keep track of your appointments. You can even send reminders to patients so they won’t forget their appointment. It allows you to create invoices, reports, and take advance payments. You can also customize the online booking page to your own needs.
Picktime is the perfect solution for busy doctors who want to make appointment scheduling easier. With its easy-to-use interface and features, you’ll be able to save time and hassle when it comes to scheduling appointments.
4. Newsletter
There are many healthcare technologies available in the market to communicate with patients, but none is as effective and efficient as emailing newsletters to patients.
You can use telecommunication technologies to give one-on-one consultations to patients. On the contrary, the newsletter emails reach the potential audience at once. Furthermore, you can communicate with the patients intimately by personalizing the newsletter and messages.
The key here is to maintain consistency and produce high-value content. Meanwhile, you also have to ensure that the content is relevant, informative, helpful and engaging. As a result, the audience would look forward to receiving your newsletter and engaging with it.
You can use newsletters to communicate with patients about emerging trends in the healthcare industry. Meanwhile, you can also take advantage of email signature marketing to increase the rate of conversion and retention.
5. Artificial intelligence technology to manage patient data
You can use artificial intelligence technology to manage and secure patient data. Artificial technology is ideal for handling large volumes of data, including the data that healthcare apps capture. Furthermore, AI can analyze the data so that healthcare experts can effortlessly interpret data.
Meanwhile, a survey by Accenture reveals that AL can reduce a patient’s hospital visits manifolds annually as some visits are unnecessary. That is because the patients can initiate the diagnosis process at home based on a retina scan, facial expressions, X-rays and speech. As a result, the patients can start the diagnosis even before consulting with a doctor. Besides assisting the patients, it also supports doctors in making an accurate diagnosis eliminating human error.
6. Improving health literacy
A robust social media presence can also increase health literacy among patients. The healthcare facilities would be posting the information on a public forum. Social media platforms have the potential to reach an even wider audience than imagined about healthcare information. Furthermore, individuals rely on the internet to gather information from social media and blogs. That gives healthcare experts a vast platform to impart knowledge, share information, and inform individuals about good health practices.
