In a clinic setting, the average amount of time a patient with an appointment spends waiting to see their physician is 48 minutes. In an emergency room setting, the average time a patient will wait to be seen is 24 minutes. Whether a patient is in a healthcare environment for a check up, an acute condition, or an emergency, the likelihood is high that the minutes spent waiting to see the doctor feel much longer than they actually are.
Patients know and accept that healthcare appointments almost always include some waiting time. What they often don’t know is how long the wait will be or what to do. That uncertainty can damage the patient experience.
A great patient experience is grounded on the clinic’s ability to deliver a clear, fair and obvious process for managing needs, expectations and perceptions. Among hospital leaders, 84% of rank patient experience as a top priority and say that communication is important to the experience. Patients agree – 83% say that better communication between patients and caregivers should be a priority.
Communicate What Your Patients Need from the Clinic Setting
Patient want healthcare that is delivered with empathy, compassion and clarity. Communication is at the heart of all three of those expectations. By making sure patients feel secure, anonymous and informed, caregivers immediately improve the patient experience.
Visual and audible communications help healthcare institutions of all sizes to disseminate information and improve the quality of the patient experience as a whole.
- Digital Displays reduce uncertainty by posting information like appointment numbers, location information, and important messages on customized displays throughout the environment.
- Media Players lower actual and perceived wait times by providing information and entertainment that engages, educates, and entertains.
- Vision Solutions inform patients about service and wait time specifics, reducing hesitation and dramatically speeding the service process.
- Mobile Solutions allow patient to virtually wait anywhere without being confined to a wait room. During the process you will be able to communicate / educate and inform the patients.
- Wayfinding integration to wayfinding maps can be made smarter by guiding the patient of where to go rather than the patient find out themselves.
More than ever, healthcare providers must pay attention to the quality of care they’re able to provide and the quality of the experience their patients perceive. Communication that engages, informs, and integrates perfectly with your environment is an important piece of that experience. The right mix of audio and visual communications solutions represents one of the best strategies for clinics to tend to appointment, walk-in, and emergency patients and create a positive experience from start to finish.
Start to put your messages on display in your environment. Flexible displays, integrated media players, and voice and sound resources reduce anxiety for patients by making sure they know what to do and where to go. And by combining content and context, you connect with patients through useful, welcoming messages that engage them throughout their entire visit.
Show your patients that they are your priority. Help your employees spend more time and energy providing attentive care. High quality audio and visual elements are clear evidence that you truly care.
Image courtesy by Qmatic
