It isn’t all that uncommon nowadays for people to be constantly on — on the net, on their phone, etc. With the accessibility of information and resources online and at our very fingertips, it isn’t strange for people to seek for medical guidance through those channels either. Oftentimes people find themselves looking up their symptoms and find that they could have something as simple as a common flu, or something extremely alarming like cancer. This is even more prevalent now that there are numerous communities undergoing lockdowns and people practicing self-quarantining due to the COVID-19 virus. Sometimes people just want to be able to text their doctors instead, to find out what is going on if only for some ease of mind.
In fact, it seems that won’t be something that is too far off from happening. With the rise of HIPAA compliant communications it is possible that easily communicating with your patients through texting will be something you can do easily. While this may seem like something out of the norm, it definitely is not without its benefits.
COVID-19 Caution
To get the elephant in the room out of the way, let’s talk about how the COVID-19 virus has made it very difficult to go about ANYONE’S usual life. If you aren’t showing symptoms of COVID, one is usually advised to stay home but in cases of emergencies or important appointments for those with pre-morbidities, it is still important to make the trip to the hospital. This is where it would be helpful to have a scheduling tool that would allow you to easily schedule and arrange appointments with your patients. Avoid having them be further exposed by cutting down on waiting times, or simply informing them when to be at your clinic or the hospital.
Away with the Anxiety
Remember when I mentioned how patients would Google their symptoms and find themselves considering the fact that they may have a deadly disease? Allowing you and your patients to have more opportunities for real time conversation before and after appointments may make a world of a difference. As a healthcare provider or doctor, you can give your patients additional information about what they’re experiencing by linking them to a video or an article.
Connect and Care
Studies have been conducted and show an improvement in patients who received automated text messages from their healthcare providers and doctors. Reminders were sent to patients diagnosed with cancers. Simple messages reminding them to engage in physical activity and healthy eating had shown positive results. Aside from having a positive outcome, it is a great way for medical staff to re-engage those who have, for example, fallen behind their exercise regimens or may have forgotten to take their daily medication.
HIPAA compliant communications don’t have to be clunky, robotic, and detached. Remember to share these benefits with your patients when offering this service to them because these are only a handful of many benefits that you and your patients may enjoy. At the end of the day, the most important and beneficial outcome of using text messaging to reach one another is that their health and safety are always at the forefront.