To reduce patient anxiety around their treatment, many healthcare organizations are turning to virtual tours. To dig deeper into why this is such an effective tool, I recently sat down with one of White Rhino's research partners, Dean Browell at Feedback.
Based on Feedback's ethnographic research, Dean indicated that, "the general public is looking in earnest to their local healthcare leaders for guidance and reassurance."
But the need goes well beyond a simple listing of your policies and procedures. "Patients want to know how they will enter the building, what type of contact will they have with other patients, and the impact on a procedure’s safety," explained Dean.
Seeing is believing
Especially with such a complex and emotional topic, sometimes telling patients what you're doing is not nearly as powerful as showing them. Patients want a look inside before they make a decision to step in.
"Across several states we are seeing a public who are making very specific decisions about the activities they feel safe performing," continued Dean, "and being a part of and the decision to delay or postpone treatment and procedures is a part of that."
A virtual solution
How can you show patients how you're prepared to handle their care before they are able to step inside? Video is a natural solution (and we've seen a lot of great ones). Another solution we're seeing healthcare organizations roll out is a virtual tour.
Patients can get a 3-dimensional look inside your facilities - from the comfort of their home. As they explore, they can interact with various hot spots that can go into detail about your policies and procedures.
Virtual Tours have proven effective at keeping patients engaged much longer than a traditional web page - allowing more time for your message to sink in. And in these unsure times, that can be priceless. "Taking the time to make sure patients feel comfortable and confident is key in this period of high anxiety," explains Dean.
Interested in how your organization can build a virtual tour like the one pictured above - or how you can dig deeper into the psychological drivers of your audience? Contact us
