What do patients think of you?

28 FEATURE

november 2017 independent practitioner todaYindependent practitioner todaY november 2017

FEATURE 29

The power of the patient testimonial presents a growing challenge for doctors in private practice. Jane Braithwaite (below)shows how to keep up to speed with this phenomenon, the best way to deal with a bad review and how this can be managed so your practice gets the best out of these sites

It’s a famIlIar situation: you need a particular service but don’t know where to start. Hotel recommendations, res-taurant reviews, a good electri-cian…

Our first point of call is usu-ally a preferred search engine, followed by a thorough read of the reviews of countless service providers.

Word of mouth still plays a part in identifying and eventu-ally choosing a service, but sites such as tripadvisor, Glassdoor and Checkatrade have all become go-to places

for people looking for a glimpse at what they can expect before committing to a purchase or organising a service.

the situation is no different when it comes to private healthcare. a recent survey conducted by software advice found that around 80% of patients use online reviews when searching for doctors.

the situation is no different when it comes to identifying medical and healthcare ser-vices. a recent survey by Brightlocal found that 84% of those questioned valued an

online review as much as a word-of-mouth review, and that medical and healthcare professionals are the third most searched-for services – with restaurants and hotels at num-bers one and two respectively.

sites such as Doctify and top Doctors offer patients a platform both to share experiences and to find out more about the services on offer.

for consumers, these sites can be a goldmine of information, but for physicians there can be a risk: the bad patient review.

How can doctors keep up to speed with this phenomenon, what is the

best way to deal with a bad patient review and how can this be man-aged so your practice gets the best out of these sites?

Maintain confidentialityBefore considering how to deal with online patient reviews, it is worth remembering that these interactions need to be treated the same way as a face-to-face clinic appointment – confidentially.

Patient review sites could be described as a recent phenomenon and can be used to feed into social media. as a result, they have the potential to reach out to huge num-

bers of people – and unidentified people, at that.

With this in mind, one of the most important things to keep in mind when managing or respond-ing to patient reviews is confidenti-ality.

Doctors are still obliged to main-tain confidentiality, even if a patient has taken the decision to publically discuss their experience with you.

By responding directly to reviews, you could run the risk of publically disclosing that the reviewer is, in fact, your patient – something

➱ p30

PATiEnT TEsTiMoniAls

What do patients think of you?

28 FEATURE

november 2017 independent practitioner todaYindependent practitioner todaY november 2017

FEATURE 29

The power of the patient testimonial presents a growing challenge for doctors in private practice. Jane Braithwaite (below)shows how to keep up to speed with this phenomenon, the best way to deal with a bad review and how this can be managed so your practice gets the best out of these sites

It’s a famIlIar situation: you need a particular service but don’t know where to start. Hotel recommendations, res-taurant reviews, a good electri-cian…

Our first point of call is usu-ally a preferred search engine, followed by a thorough read of the reviews of countless service providers.

Word of mouth still plays a part in identifying and eventu-ally choosing a service, but sites such as tripadvisor, Glassdoor and Checkatrade have all become go-to places

for people looking for a glimpse at what they can expect before committing to a purchase or organising a service.

the situation is no different when it comes to private healthcare. a recent survey conducted by software advice found that around 80% of patients use online reviews when searching for doctors.

the situation is no different when it comes to identifying medical and healthcare ser-vices. a recent survey by Brightlocal found that 84% of those questioned valued an

online review as much as a word-of-mouth review, and that medical and healthcare professionals are the third most searched-for services – with restaurants and hotels at num-bers one and two respectively.

sites such as Doctify and top Doctors offer patients a platform both to share experiences and to find out more about the services on offer.

for consumers, these sites can be a goldmine of information, but for physicians there can be a risk: the bad patient review.

How can doctors keep up to speed with this phenomenon, what is the

best way to deal with a bad patient review and how can this be man-aged so your practice gets the best out of these sites?

Maintain confidentialityBefore considering how to deal with online patient reviews, it is worth remembering that these interactions need to be treated the same way as a face-to-face clinic appointment – confidentially.

Patient review sites could be described as a recent phenomenon and can be used to feed into social media. as a result, they have the potential to reach out to huge num-

bers of people – and unidentified people, at that.

With this in mind, one of the most important things to keep in mind when managing or respond-ing to patient reviews is confidenti-ality.

Doctors are still obliged to main-tain confidentiality, even if a patient has taken the decision to publically discuss their experience with you.

By responding directly to reviews, you could run the risk of publically disclosing that the reviewer is, in fact, your patient – something

➱ p30

PATiEnT TEsTiMoniAls

30 FEATURE

independent practitioner todaY november 2017

which you may not have consent to do.

the GmC’s guidance on Good Medical Practice reminds doctors of this and advises that, when communicat ing publical ly, patient confidentiality must be maintained. this extends to social media. (see ‘there aren’t any secrets online’, IPT June 2015).

studies around this subject have shown there is a lot of uncertainty around the legal implications of interacting with patients via social media. so it may be worthwhile considering a response strategy that takes any discussions offline to a more confidential setting, such as in clinic or over the phone. this way, you will certainly not be accused of a breach of privacy.

Response strategiesresponse strategies to unfavoura-ble online patient reviews could be similar to strategies that deal with complaints received in a more traditional fashion through contacting your office directly.

all practices should have a strat-egy in place to deal with disap-pointed or disgruntled patients, and this should always involve a swift initial response – even if more investigation is required to determine the circumstances that led to the complaint or bad review being made.

the patient’s records should then be reviewed, along with any correspondence such as emails. a full review of the situation means that you will be better placed to respond confidently and appro-priately to the complaint at hand.

Managing expectationsOf course, the best policy is to identify potential problems and deal with them before they reach a point where distress and disap-pointment has taken someone to the point of leaving a bad patient review.

Work closely with your staff, and make sure they know to alert you to any comments that – if left unchecked – could develop into a more serious complaint.

for example, has a patient com-mented to your secretary that they always seem to be waiting an unacceptable amount of time to be seen in clinic? Has the patient had to chase the office for infor-mation they have been promised?

In cases such as these, use a per-sonal touch – acknowledge the patient’s disappointment and explain why this happened. Honesty is appreciated and respected, and will hopefully con-tribute to a more open patient-doctor relationship in the future.

Manage your online presenceIf you have a practice website, management of your online pres-ence could be expanded to include monitoring patient review sites and liaising with the teams who run them to ensure that you are making the most of the services they offer.

sites such as top Doctor also have a reputation to maintain; they pride themselves on connect-ing with only the very best, using a recommendation system to ensure they only take on respected profes-sionals, so it is in the interests of both parties to make sure that the relationship is fruitful.

some sites also offer marketing services, supporting doctors with Pr activities and social media activity. It is therefore extremely worthwhile connecting with these teams to find out more about how they can help grow your practice.

these sites can also help to improve patient’s initial opinion of your practice; some offer 24-hour online access to clinic appointments, meaning patients don’t have to wait for office hours to book in. this speedy, easy way to book appointments can’t help but give a potential patient a great first impression.

Constructive criticism – a blessing in disguiseso are patient reviews something to be scared of? this is debatable.

While it is not pleasant to know that a patient is dissatisfied with your services, and there is always a chance that a critical comment may put some people off, it is worth remembering that all reviews – both good and bad – will contribute to you having a much better understanding of how your practice is performing.

Without knowing what you are doing wrong, how can it ever be put right?

Jane Braithwaite is managing direc-tor of Designated Medical

Top Tips for managing paTienT reviews regularly request testimonials from satisfied patients. obtain consent to use these pieces on your own website – with the option of being anonymous – and gradually add this content over time. This will help to keep your website fresh

Use feedback forms. monitoring patient satisfaction in this way will enable you to keep track of any trends and make changes to your practice based on this feedback

Utilise in-house marketing teams at review websites. each service offers more than just a review service, so it is useful to reach out to the relevant teams to see how you can make the most of these services, such as direct appointment booking and advice on how to make the most of your site profile

manage expectations. raising expectations can often result in disappointment; be honest and realistic; your patient will respect this, and your relationship will benefit

manage your online presence. Utilise your practice manager or medical secretary; as the voice of your practice, they may be able to identify patients who would be willing to contribute a glowing review and can co-ordinate your online/social media activity to include these testimonials

Consider filming testimonials. some patients may be willing to contribute to a short film that you can embed in your website. By combining this with written reviews and testimonials, you will appeal to the different ways people engage with online information

Deal with bad reviews appropriately. Don’t ignore it, don’t overreact, don’t lash out. Have a response strategy in place and involve your practice staff in this. This might include offering the patient a free consultation or phone consultation to discuss their concerns. above all, be sincere and treat the patient with respect – even if you feel their complaint is unreasonable

Utilise your social media channels. if you receive a good review, spread the word and share it with your network

Connect with your patients. identify patients who you think may be willing to share their story and ask them formally – using the right tone: personal, showing gratitude and appreciation for their comments – to contribute a testimonial

Use reviews that demonstrate the breadth of your experience. if you offer different types of treatment, try to engage patients from different treatment areas to contribute reviews. The same applies for one-off, rare treatments. if you are a specialist in a particular procedure that is not commonly carried out, a good patient testimonial can act as a beacon to anyone searching for information on these rare treatments

Do you sell goods and services to independent practitioners?

To book a place in this supplement, please contact Margaret Floate by phone on 01483 824094 or email her at margifloate@btinternet.com

Then you should be in independent Practitioner Today’s Product Guide 2018, which will be published with the February issue of our journal.

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