Patients often come back from doctor’s appointments disgruntled and confused with their care instructions. What are triglycerides, and why are mine high? What counts as “high triglycerides”? Why should I care?
Often, patients’ eyes will glaze over as their primary care team rattles off medication instructions, test results and follow-up appointments. With the enactment of the Affordable Care Act, and the incredible 16.5 million more people who now have health insurance, it’s time to create better communication between doctors and patients by being mindful with health communication.
Blogging for healthcare facilities and providers opens up opportunities to humanize the care team, and to give them the chance to create conversations with their patients about their care, rather than instructing them on their care. To put their health—quite literally— into layperson’s terms. Here are some key steps:
Have friendly dialogue. Make your topics clear, uncluttered, and to the point. There is no room for flowery prose when people are trying to understand what is going on with their care, but that doesn’t mean your writing should come off as robotic and cold. Write your blog like you are talking to a friend. A diagnosis today is an opportunity for you to make changes for better health. We’re here to help you live the best life possible.
Use clear health communication. Triglycerides are fat deposits found in your blood. Some suggestions to get your levels lower include more physical activity and healthy eating. A diagnosis doesn’t have to be scary for patients if they can understand what it means, and how they can start taking care of themselves. For a blog, try finding a few common diagnoses that people are interested in learning about (diabetes, weight issues, stress, sleep problems, etc.) and find some general tips for them to try. You’ll never run out of topics.
Remember not to identify patients, and not to make suggestions about medications. You are providing general tips in a blog. Always remind them that if they have questions about their specific diagnoses, they should contact their doctor.
Be up to date on current healthcare news. Healthcare topics often garner big headlines, so it’s a good idea to be up on anything in the news that has to do with health and patient care. What is happening with Medicaid and Medicare in 2015? What have new studies shown about the relationship between weight and dementia? People will trust your blog if you are interesting, and know a little something about healthcare news and trends.
Want more tips on how to write mindful blogs for healthcare? Contact us and we’ll give you the scoop.
