A positive waiting experience for patient and practice

Consider this... What defines a patient’s satisfaction levels for a visit to your practice?

It would be correct to assume that the clinical session has a significant influence on this; it would be misguided to think the foundation laid before the clinical session doesn’t have a bearing on the overall satisfaction and that the potential for negative patient anxiety is high during this time.

So what can be done to ensure this section of the patient journey is as positive as possible?

Take time to consider all aspects and walk in your patient’s shoes. As COVID-19 has presented some challenging obstacles for dental practices, your patient's journey still matters! Enter the building as they would and interact with the waiting area as they would. Are you providing an anxiety free journey and if not what simple changes can be made to improve things?

Distraction with information is a key tool to use when managing anxiety levels and many practices achieve this by playing soothing music or installing a television on the wall. So now that you are helping to keep anxiety levels down, think about the kind of information you are providing within your ‘socially distanced’ waiting area and ask yourself is it entertaining, educational, and engaging? Will it distract your patient and reduce their anxiety, will they learn something about oral health or the services you provide and is it easy for them to take on board?

Out of date magazines are a thing of the past and due to reducing any risk of spreading the virus everything has moved to digital! Delivering information using technology which your patients are familiar with, such as a well-placed television screen, is a very simple and effective way to achieve the above. What’s more, if the content on that television screen encourages your patient to initiate a dialogue with practice staff, then there is positive benefit for both your patient and your practice. 

However, many practice television screens simply show daytime television. Whilst this ticks the box of entertaining your patient, it does not provide an educational nor engaging environment to discuss dental related health or services that the practice offers.

A much better solution is to implement a dedicated and configurable solution that plays a video playlist of content that is entertaining, educational, engaging and most importantly personalised to your practice.

PiCBox Waitng Room TV offered by MEDiVision allows you to do just this. Playlists can be created and managed from any internet connected device and so the creativity can happen away from the pressures of the day to day practice schedule.

The video playlist provides an opportunity to showcase your staff, build brand awareness and deliver oral health advice such as the early signs of oral cancer. They can be used to highlight specific practice information, such as the use of electronic forms or build reputation by displaying reviews from social media or your own patient video testimonials. 

High quality entertaining content provided by manufacturers of alignment, whitening, sleep apnoea, facial rejuvenation and other systems can be displayed and augmented with information related to your own practice healthcare professionals and the services they provide.

Waiting room television is a great way to pass on information that is sometimes uncomfortable to discuss such as patient finance, approval for which is now often available during the same visit and can trigger patients to enquire about elective treatments they have been considering such as facial rejuvenation or tooth whitening. Ask yourself, are your patients even aware that these elective treatments are offered at your practice?

It may be 2021, where the viral pandemic has clouded our vision slightly, but do not overlook an opportunity to make simple changes that will have a positive effect on patient satisfaction, practice reputation and profitability. 

If you would like to know more about how MEDiVision can help you and your practice communicate more effectively with patients, visit the website at www.medivision.co.uk, email info@medivision.co.uk or call 01908 265565

 

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