When it comes to healthcare, there is simply no way for hospitals to avoid crises completely. A crisis is any event that might bring negative attention to the hospital in the public eye. It could be a problem concerning your patient care, management, or any other issue that might make the public question the reputation and credibility of your hospital. There are way too many external and internal factors that make healthcare particularly susceptible to crises. Whether one occurs today, tomorrow or somewhere in the future is just a matter of time. This is why you need to have effective crisis management strategies in place because patient trust is fundamental to the success of your hospital and once you lose it, it might permanently harm your brand. So, today, let's take a look at some strategies you can adopt to make crisis navigation easier.

1. Always be ready

A crisis may occur at any time. Timing is of utmost importance when handling a crisis. You should have a trained crisis management team in place to mitigate any damage to the hospital caused by delays in response. Without a swift response, the issue might get out of hand quickly as misinformation and confusion spread among the public. You should establish immediate response protocols so that no time is wasted once the crisis occurs. Activate your crisis management team and get ready to make a clear and concise initial statement from the hospital.

2. Ensure tactful communication

Addressing the situation with transparency and compassion is essential for crisis management in healthcare. Withholding too much information and being vague with your communication will only make the public more suspicious of your hospital. First and foremost, in your initial communication, you need to acknowledge the incident and take responsibility. Be as transparent as possible and sincerely express your understanding and compassion towards those affected.

3. Engage strategically with media

Media involvement is guaranteed when a crisis happens at a hospital. During this time, you need to coordinate with various media outlets and engage with them strategically to manage the narrative in a way that minimizes the damage. Monitor the media coverage and response and swiftly refute any misinformation through official channels. You can also offer a media briefing to show the hospital's commitment to transparent communication and improvement. Carefully prepare your statement with clear, consistent messaging. Avoid saying "no comment," to the questions and instead say that the details will be revealed after investigation. Your internal communication during this time should also be flawless so that you can coordinate with your staff to prepare them to answer any questions from the public.

4. Conduct a thorough investigation

Before you release any detailed information regarding the incident, you should conduct a thorough investigation into what went wrong and prepare to combat the negative impact with a statement. Review the incident internally and if the situation demands it, bring an external auditor to review it for the hospital. Bringing an external auditor will also help build credibility in the eyes of the public as they are likely to be unbiased since they are not affiliated with your hospital. You also need to strictly control the flow of information until the investigation is complete to prevent creating panic among the public.

5. Apologize when necessary

It is imperative for the reputation of your brand to express sincere regret towards the affected. If there has been an error on the hospital's part, acknowledge it and fairly accept the criticism. Sincerely apologize to the public and assure them that corrective measures will be taken to ensure no recurrence. Beyond the public apology, make sure to apologize to the affected individuals in private as well. This will help stabilize the situation on a personal level.

6. Consult with your legal team

A crisis can put your hospital under legal risk depending on the circumstances. To protect your brand, make sure to communicate with your legal counsel throughout the process to ensure that all your actions and communications comply with the relevant laws. Your legal counsel will help you handle the crisis in a way that mitigates risks and potential liabilities.

7. Implement corrective measures

Once a crisis occurs, the trust and loyalty your patients have towards your brand might get considerably shaken. To reassure them, you need to show your commitment to continued improvement through developing and implementing proactive steps that will prevent such incidents from happening again. Let the public know the corrective measures you are going to take through a press release and make sure to update the public once you have successfully implemented them.

8. Develop long-term reputation management strategies

A crisis may have lingering effects even after it is over and this holds especially true for an industry like healthcare. This is why you need long-term reputation management strategies. They will help restore and strengthen the brand’s reputation in the eyes of the public. You need to tailor your communication strategy to showcase your dedication to providing quality care to your patients and to ensure them you put patient safety and satisfaction first. You can also organize community outreach programs to reaffirm your commitment to care. This will also help soften the public’s negative impression of the brand after the crisis.

9. Reflect and learn

After the successful management of the crisis, it's still not time for you to rest. The next step is to reflect on the incident and your response to see where the gaps are and what you can do to improve. Conduct a debriefing session with your crisis management team and reassess the entire process and make the necessary changes accordingly to your crisis communication training. This will help you prepare better for future challenges.

A crisis in a hospital needs to be managed efficiently and with utmost urgency. A small misstep can cause irreparable harm to your brand which means your branding and public relations management departments need to come together to protect the brand. Having a trusted branding partner who is well-versed in managing these situations can significantly minimize the negative impact on the hospital. Moksha Media, Hyderabad, is a top digital branding agency for hospitals in India providing strategic branding solutions to enhance your brand. Our ability to provide maximum results to our clients has enabled us to work with the leading hospital brands in India and establish ourselves as a prominent name when it comes to healthcare branding and marketing. We offer reputation management and media planning services to help you navigate through crisis situations with ease.

Connect with us today to learn more about our services. Let's protect and improve your brand together.

21 August 2024 | Hospital Branding, Digital Branding for Hospitals, Healthcare Branding