Getting patient feedback is important but we understand that sometimes, it can be difficult to collect. Based on our years of experience in helping doctors, dentists, clinics, and hospitals to collate meaningful feedback from patients, we have put together seven ways to get more patient reviews this year.
Top seven strategies to get more patient reviews:
- Educate your patients on the importance of patient feedback
- Make review collection a habit
- Use a Doctify-powered tablet to get patient reviews
- Send out emails after appointments
- Request reviews with SMS text messages
- Respond to feedback from patients
- Use a secure feedback platform
The importance of patient feedback
In the last seven years, the number of people using online healthcare reviews to find and research specialists has grown to 69%. People now trust these reviews as much as friends. So, collecting feedback from patients is something that many healthcare providers and professionals are now doing so that they can strengthen their online reputation in order to be seen by the large group of people looking at healthcare reviews online.
Patient feedback is also becoming a valuable way of gaining insights into patient experiences. When feedback is collected consistently, it can give you the opportunity to find out more about how your patients think and feel, what matters to them most and what they want from their time with you, allowing you to drive the right improvements to their care.
Here are some of the best strategies that you can introduce in order to start collecting consistent and meaningful feedback from your patients:
1. Educate your patients on the importance of patient feedback
When you ask patients for reviews, let them know why their feedback matters and how you will use it.
Make them aware that the reviews that you collect are completely anonymous in order to promote trust and transparency. Explain how the feedback will help you to deliver the highest standard of care, as it will give you a better understanding of your patients’ experiences. People are much more likely to provide feedback when they know its impact.
2. Make review collection a habit
Make it a habit to ask your patients for a review at the end of appointments. You may want to do this at the end of their treatment plan, after their final consultation or at a follow-up consultation.
It’s important to note you may not have fully solved all the patient’s needs, and that is ok! Collecting patient feedback is still important to prove your clinical care is world-class, even in the circumstances where you have to refer your patient to another specialist.
It’s as simple as asking: “Thanks for your time today. I’d appreciate it if you could review the care you’ve received from us at the clinic and me. It is entirely anonymous, and it helps us to better understand our patients and make the right improvements to our patients’ experiences. The team at the front desk will be able to send you a review link via email, or you can directly pop your review in via tablet in our reception once you’ve finished the rest of the paperwork from this consultation.”
3. Use a Doctify-powered tablet to get patient reviews
Having a review collection tablet located within your clinic can make it easier for patients to leave you a review. They have the ability to do so while they are still at your practice, dealing with the final admin after their appointment.
Our Doctify-powered review tablets are typically placed in the reception areas of practices. They ask patients a series of questions related to their care. Patients also have the opportunity to leave you a star rating. The reviews that are collected through our tablets are then published onto the Doctify platform and within your Doctify Dashboard, allowing you to gain real-time insights into your patients’ experiences.
4. Send out emails after an appointment
Sometimes, a patient can be in a rush after the appointment, and may not have the time to write a review while in your clinic.
A common review collection strategy that is valuable to many healthcare providers is the sending of automated feedback requests. This is where emails or SMS messages are sent out automatically to patients after appointments, through your practice management software. These emails or messages will typically include a personalised review link or QR code to prompt your patients to leave feedback on their experience.
At Doctify, we work closely with many practice management software providers to automate review collection for healthcare providers. Do you want to find out more about how we can help? Visit our page on the benefits of automation and the software providers we work with.
5. Request reviews with SMS text messages
82% of smartphone owners read every text message they receive. If you have patients’ permission to communicate with them via SMS, this can be an efficient and convenient way of asking for feedback as they can do so while on the go.
We have found that using text messages for patient feedback can shorten response time compared to email, which in turn can help you to get more patient reviews, especially when the process is automated.
6. Respond to feedback from patients
When a patient goes to write a review, they may take a moment to look at what other patients have had to say. This is why it is essential to respond to your reviews, whether positive or negative to highlight the importance you place on patient feedback.
Patients appreciate it when providers respond. It demonstrates that you take their feedback seriously, value their time and have listened to what they have said.
This in turn can help to build trust with future patients, strengthen your online credibility and display your commitment to patient care.
7. Use a secure feedback platform
On many review platforms, anyone can submit a review. This can leave your clinic open to fake and fraudulent feedback.
With Doctify, every patient review is verified. This system protects our platform and your practice from fake and dishonest reviews, allowing patients to have confidence in the feedback they read on our website. If you would like to find out more about how we can help you to collate real feedback from real people, read our page on what it looks like to collect reviews with Doctify.
