What to do about COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
Steps your dental or medical practice may need to take
Are your patients asking you questions about the Coronavirus (COVID-19)? Are they cancelling their appointments? As the coronavirus continues to spread and questions arise, it’s important to have your practice prepared to respond in a helpful, calm, and reassuring manner. Here are three ways you can communicate with your patients about the Coronavirus.
1. Reassure Your Patients
At a time when anxiety is high and worries are running rampant, now more than ever is an excellent time to reassure your patients that it’s safe to come into your practice for their appointments. You can do this by prepping your office staff with what to say when phone calls come in. Ask your team to share with your patients the procedures you perform to sanitize and clean beyond your normal duties. This will alleviate anxiety and foster a trust that strengthens the patient-dentist relationship. Finally, have your staff direct your patients to the content you’ve created on your homepage or infection control page.
2. Create Unique Content for Your Target Audience
As you seek to be a safe place for your patients, craft a section about the Coronavirus on your website that can be easily found by those concerned. Whether it’s a bullet list on your homepage or an entire customized page on your website, include reputable links (find a list of resources below). We highly recommend the recently published blog by the California Dental Association (CDA), this updated newsletter by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the handout released by the American Dental Association (ADA) as helpful resources. Add them to the space on your practice website devoted to addressing COVID-19. And then make sure your staff can direct your patients to this information quickly and easily.
3. Review Your Infection Control Page
The evolving situation around the Coronavirus provides you the opportunity to review the Infection Control page on your website and add content to it. As you update it with information pertaining to COVID-19, you’ll build trust with your patients and any referring doctors with whom you work. When they feel more informed regarding the current circumstances, you become more trustworthy. Knowledge on what to do and how you, as a practice, are making every effort to create a safe environment will bolster confidence. Your infection control content should include a list of how your practice safeguards against infectious germs, ranging from washing hands and the cleaning of surfaces and dental instruments to having staff stay at home when they’re sick. Some of our clients have shared with us what’s been most effective for them. We invite you to collaborate with your SEO team at PBHS as you customize your infection control page or create new content.
As information changes regarding the Coronavirus confusion and panic tend to surface. Be a beacon of stability amid chaos by restoring confidence and smiles with the information and instructions you put on your website.
The experts at PBHS are waiting to collaborate with you as you create helpful, informative, and encouraging content. Reach out to us today!
Immediate Action: Current PBHS Website clients have the ability to turn on a brand-new alert feature on their practice website home page providing a timely and direct link to their Coronavirus infection control page. This is a free service offered to our dental partners allowing them to streamline their communications regarding COVID-19; fostering trust and confidence in your services during these uncertain times. Call PBHS today to turn on this feature.
Coronavirus Resources: