Visiting a GP practice can be incredibly daunting for your patients, especially since they will already be worried about their health issues. Then, it is important that you can give them the best experience possible and put them at ease from the beginning to the end of their visit. This guide will bring together everything that you can do at each part of their trip to your surgery that will allow them to leave happy with the experience that your company has given them.
1. Give Them an Easy Experience at Your Reception Area
Although you might be focused on giving your patients an excellent experience within the doctor’s room itself, your patient’s experience starts at your reception area. One of the top steps that you can take to give your patients a great start to their trip and to put them at ease is to employ excellent office and administration employees and to train them on how best to handle customers, no matter their temperament. You can find the best office staff by creating a comprehensive recruitment campaign and by finding people that care about your patient’s welfare. Once you have done this, you should also make sure that their office visit goes smoothly by investing in a range of office supplies, such as ballpoint pens, sticky notes, and labels. This will ensure that your office is well-organised and that your patient can pass quickly through without any issues.
2. Create a Welcoming Waiting Area
Once they have spoken to a receptionist, your visitor will then make their way to the waiting area, where they will sit until their doctor is available. This can often be a tense part of their visit, especially if they are anxious about their illness or about hygiene regulations in the room itself. Then, it would help if you considered creating a calming waiting area by painting it in a bright or peaceful colour, like yellow or blue. You should also invest in an assortment of chairs and office furniture on which your visitors can comfortably sit. You might also consider playing relaxing music and creating a play area for any children that might come to your practice.
3. Make their Appointment Comfortable
Then, the most important part of their trip will occur their appointment. Appointments can often be scary for patients, especially if they do not know what is going on. Then, you can make them feel comfortable by always talking them through what you are doing and why especially when you are taking a test or diagnosing their condition. You should also invest in supplies like reclining couches and chairs, which can help to make your patient comfortable while you test them. You can also make their appointment comfortable by giving them accurate information at all times.
4. Give Them Access to the Most Modern Equipment
To keep your customers returning and to make sure that they get the best care, you need to give them access to the most modern medical equipment that is available to them. To do this, you should make connections with a medical supply store that will be able to offer and advise you on the best options for your surgery. These supplies include items such as blood pressure monitors, which can help you to diagnose their condition accurately and to get them onto the correct treatment plan as quickly as possible.
5. Stick with Health and Safety Regulations
One of the major worries when people head to the doctor’s though, is whether they will be safe, especially in light of the coronavirus pandemic. Then, you should stick to health and safety regulations and create a spotless environment for your patients by investing in high-quality cleaning fluids and chemicals, floor cleaners, disinfectant, and laundry products. These can prevent the spread of disease and can help to give your patients the peace of mind that they will not come away with more than they came in with. It would help if you also considered running a health and safety training program for your team to make sure that they are all on the same page.
6. Conduct Maintenance and Repairs
There is nothing worse than getting through half an appointment only to find that your equipment does not work, and this is also important in terms of providing your patients with accurate information. Then, it would help if you looked to conduct regular maintenance and repairs that will allow your patients to reap the benefits of like-new equipment at all times.
