More helpful, professional communication in healthcare

In the healthcare industry, you need to assess your current communication channels to ensure they meet patient and provider needs in today’s day and age. That may mean updating to modern communication software in order to streamline communications. It’s also important to:

• Have a way for patients to contact care providers outside office hours
• Have mobile-friendly communication capabilities
• Employ a way for staff to communicate with one another
• Get feedback from individuals about what’s working and what’s not

Patients don’t always understand medical jargon. They need providers who can explain what they need to know, which may mean sending information in a followup message. Providers and staff also need to be able to quickly and accurately communicate with one another in order to provide better patient outcomes. 

Much of healthcare communication is still done face-to-face or through medical records. However, more and more, telehealth, email, and other messaging channels are used to communicate in a healthcare setting. 

Communications directors are in charge of all internal and external communications for an organization. This includes setting the tone and communication style cascaded throughout the organization. They often also serve as overseer of public relations personnel and as the main contact for any media inquiries.

Good communication in healthcare should always include a way for all parties involved to communicate — whether that’s doctors with patients or providers with their office staff. That’s why it’s important to implement communications software and platforms that have an unlimited number of seats at the table. 

Effective healthcare communication should be clear above all else because there is no room for mistakes. It should also be:

• Timely. Ensure you’re getting stakeholders the info they need when they need it. 
• Informative. Individuals need to know what to do, when to do it, and what other actions to take. But don’t bury it in heavy text or too long conversations. 
• Personable. Remember you’re dealing with people. Talk to them accordingly.
• Verbal and non-verbal. Look for clues in gestures and body language.

Examples of healthcare communication can include:

• Emailed office updates
• Patient care information
• Telehealth visits
• Interactions with office staff
• Patient Portals 

Within the healthcare industry, AI is being used to answer patient questions faster than ever. It’s also assisting with administrative tasks as well as patient diagnosis and treatment.