Electronic Health Reporter

If you are looking to run a successful healthcare business, be it a small office or a clinic, you need to ensure your patients always receive high-quality services. To be able to deliver the best possible care services to your patients, you will have to create the appropriate environment and focus on the training of your staff, not only in terms of medical care, but in terms of customer service as well. Oftentimes, the ones that you will have to take care of the most are not patients, but their loved ones, so being able to comfort them and establish trust is paramount.

If you want to ensure your medical facility has what it takes to make patients feel valued, cared for and safe, it’s time to start elevating some of the aspects of your business.

Improve patient safety

Patient safety should be your number one priority, not only to provide better services, but also to ensure you keep up with government rules and regulations. People need medical services when their health is threatened, so the last thing they wish is to start being more concerned with their well-being.

Ensure that the rooms are always clean and sanitized, as you may be aware of the fact that most of communicable diseases spread through touch. Infections can spread quite easily when hygiene protocols are not followed properly. Urinary tract infections caused by poor management of catheters, for example, are among the most common infections associated with poor healthcare services.

Make sure your staff always wears gloves and gowns for protection and, when necessary, advise family members to do so as well. Remind them that they need to throw away the disposable gear once they leave the patient’s room and use a new one for every visit.

Manage resources efficiently

Most of the utensils used in healthcare are disposables, meaning they need to be thrown out after every use. If they are not used efficiently, this can result in increased costs, which could better be directed towards better patient care. Plastic applicators, bandages and all materials that are being used on a daily basis need to be properly managed, to avoid unnecessary waste.

When it comes to waste management, healthcare facilities are subject to some strict rules and regulations issued by the government. Healthcare waste can be hazardous and could expose those who come in contact with it to serious danger. Waste and recycling solutions experts at Mil-tek België advise to ensure that waste is properly divided into four categories when disposed of: general, infectious, hazardous and radioactive medical waste. This way, you will ensure that disposal is taken care of in the best possible way.

Focus on customer care

Running a healthcare facility does not only revolve around providing good medical services, but also on customer care. After all, patients are still customers that come to you for a certain service that you provide.

Instruct your staff to treat patients the same, no matter their background, economic status or other factors. Pay close attention to the people you hire, from the receptionist to the nurses and doctors, and ensure that they all know what your business culture is.

Keep communication open with both patients and relatives, answer their questions and treat them with respect, no matter what. Remember that some of them come to your clinic worried and seeking help, so you need to provide them with compassion and kindness.

Build trust with the patients’ family

Oftentimes, the people that give you the most trouble are no the patients, but their friends and family, so make sure you work on establishing trust and build a connection with them. When discussing with family members, be very careful how you choose your words and how you deliver news, be them good or bad.

Don’t make promises you can’t keep and don’t build up false hopes, especially in difficult situations. It is only natural that you want to save everyone’s life, but sometimes it may not be possible. Set realistic expectations for family members and give guidance and counseling on how to deal with patients, both inside the hospital and at home.

Be open to questions and encourage relatives to come to you whenever they need help. Advise them not to make decisions regarding treatment or care without consulting with you or another professional, as they can often unwillingly make things worse.

Invest in technology

The healthcare system is always evolving and part of that evolution lays in technology. To provide high-quality patient care, you need to ensure that you have access to the best equipment possible. From staff training to the way you store patient data and perform procedures, all processes can be improved with the use of proper technology.

Recent technological improvements allow you to collect and store vital information about patients, from their medical records to family medical history. Information like this can literally save someone’s life at a certain point.

This type of data can also help with preventive care, when certain information can show a patient can be predisposed to more health issues. You can create personalized healthcare plans for each patient, without having to go through the same discussions over and over again. Reports can be drawn to see how a patient’s condition evolved and what measures need to be taken further on.

Ask for feedback

There is no way to improve your services without receiving feedback from those who benefit from them. Asking for feedback may not always be easy in certain situations, but it is the only way you can know for sure what goes well and where you can improve. A simple follow-up call or email should be enough to give you an idea about their experience at your clinic.

Draw out a few questions regarding their level of satisfaction and relationship with staff members that you can ask in a short discussion with each patient. Ask if they experienced any kind of issues and encourage them to tell you if they have any ideas for improvements. After a while, you will be able to identify patterns and improve service quality.