Hearing care professionals, the ambiance of your clinic significantly influences a patient's experience.
A negative patient experience – take Jill for instance. Troubled by her tinnitus and seeking professional advice, she visited a local hearing care provider. However, upon arrival, she was greeted by an inattentive receptionist engrossed in her computer work. With mumbled words and no eye contact from the receptionist, Jill felt disrespected and unsure about what to do next. The check-out process echoed this same disregard causing Jill to feel embarrassed and exhausted – leading her to never return.
Why is having a hearing-loss-friendly office crucial?
Often neglected by hearing care providers but immediately noticeable by patients is whether they are entering a space that accommodates their communication challenges or not. A hearing-friendly environment signifies empathy towards these challenges while showcasing your expertise on assistive listening devices – setting up a positive tone and a positive patient experience for appointments.
What can you do to make patients feel welcome?
Patients typically take 7-10 years before seeing a hearing care provider; hence ensuring their first visit isn’t off-putting is imperative for building strong patient/provider relationships.
It starts with appointment booking: many individuals with hearing loss find phone conversations challenging so ensure clear speech or consider email or online systems as alternatives.
A quiet well-lit clinic helps those sensitive to noise or reliant on lipreading respectively while providing literature from local support groups offers reassurance that they are not alone in this journey.
Adapting office procedures such as tapping patients when it’s their turn instead of calling out names makes them comfortable while using captions during telehealth appointments enhances understanding. If you have TVs around your clinic make sure captions are turned on!
Providing written summaries post-visits also allows patients to grasp important details without embarrassment; in addition to hearing aids, offering solutions like assistive listening devices adds value too! Remember – how your clinic looks represents your commitment towards person-centered care!
Finally, ensure smooth checkouts at the reception desk perhaps through use of pocket talker devices if needed along with presenting all financial details clearly in writing.
