Improve Telehealth Patient Care with A Better Online Presence
Telehealth is quickly becoming the preferred healthcare delivery method for patients and providers when in-person services aren’t needed. The remote option is convenient and accessible, and it’s helping to ensure better access to healthcare services. Although not all healthcare needs can be addressed with telehealth, it’s becoming more and more popular for a variety of reasons.
With that said, delivering quality telehealth care is a skill that many providers are having to learn as they go. When the COVID-19 pandemic started, doctors had to quickly shift to a remote model of care, without time to prepare. Telehealth presents its own challenges for providers, which can make it difficult to maintain quality of care.
Now that things have calmed down in the field, it’s time to think about how providers can better deliver remote care. One way to improve telehealth is for healthcare organizations and providers is to strengthen their online presence and visibility. Here’s why.
Understanding the Impact of a Strong Online Presence on Telehealth Patient Care
People who prefer telehealth are usually quite tech-savvy and they are comfortable looking up health information online. Unfortunately, not all the information they might encounter is reliable. Inaccurate information can be extremely dangerous, especially in the context of health, which is one reason why it’s so important for trained medical professionals to have an online presence—to provide an antidote to misinformation.
A provider or healthcare organization’s online presence not only provides accurate information about different health topics to patients, but also helps to improve accessibility, communication, and trust. These components are key for getting people to comply with their healthcare providers’ advice and recommendations.
Accessibility is another key benefit of a strong online presence. People in rural areas might have to travel long distances to see a doctor. With health information online and telehealth services, many of these doctor’s appointments are not necessary. Quick access to health professionals can also avoid the common problem of people postponing healthcare visits due to distance.
Social Media: A Modern Doctor’s Secret Weapon
Social media gets a lot of flak, but it’s actually a great tool for physicians and other healthcare professionals who want to educate patients about health-related topics. Engaging people is easier on social media than it is on other platforms because of the way these sites are designed.
Doctors can create content in all kinds of mediums, from infographics to videos, talking about relevant health topics, health risks, and new breakthroughs. Healthcare providers who post consistently and create interesting content can even build their own personal brand organically and develop a loyal following.
Promoting Public Health Online
Many doctors use their online presence to help refute misinformation they see online or to engage in advocacy projects. This helps to build credibility and also provides an important public service. Many people don’t seek out health information from other sources but will pay attention to what they see on social media, both fact and fiction.
Doctors make their own jobs easier by creating content that can explain a medical topic to thousands of people at once, rather than to each individual patient they see. The more educated people are when they come into a telehealth visit, the better. It saves everyone time and reduces the need to explain simple concepts.
Promoting public health online helps to create healthier communities. Some healthcare professionals even host webinars and Q&A sessions for the public’s benefit, which promotes engagement, awareness, and trust. These are easy to host, even for people who don’t know how to code, since there are robust online presentation tools that have intuitive user interfaces.
These kinds of sessions can be particularly helpful in situations when there’s a health emergency. If a doctor already has a strong online presence, it’s easier to get people to attend important sessions and learn more about public health.
The Importance of Online Reviews
These days, people look up everything online before they make any decisions. This even extends to choosing a healthcare provider, and doctors need to be aware of how online reviews can affect their careers.
While a strong online presence won’t prevent an angry patient from leaving a bad review, being willing to provide information and engage with people about health topics can help inspire good reviews. People are impressed by doctors who are plugged into technology in addition to their medical knowledge.
Patient Engagement: a Key Factor
Ultimately, creating a strong online presence has the benefit of boosting patient engagement—a difficult task that most physicians struggle with. Patients need to be active participants in their own health, but when they only engage with a doctor for a few minutes over video chat, the necessary trust and credibility aren’t always there.
By using online tools to build a presence, doctors can create connections with patients that make them more invested in their health. Creating these connections can inspire patients to be more proactive with preventative care and reduce the number of in-person visits they need. Trust helps patients feel comfortable opening up and being more honest about their health.
Reducing the Need for Traditional Care with Quality Telehealth Services
Traditional healthcare will always be a major part of our healthcare system. Some tests and treatments simply can’t be administered in a patient’s home. However, patient attitudes and expectations are changing. People are more interested in telehealth preventative care, and health education than ever before.
By improving the quality of telehealth services and getting patients more invested in their own health through online education and relationships with their providers, we can drastically reduce the need for in-person health services. This will help improve outcomes and drive costs down—a win-win for everyone that starts with a strong online presence.
