As a healthcare professional there are many procedures you have to follow in order to guarantee the safety of your patients as well as the safety of your employees. Safety is even more vital in a pediatric office because you are working with more variables including children whose behavior may be difficult to predict. Following are several tips for how to kid-proof your pediatric office to help your clients and pediatric patients feel safe and have the very best medical experience.
One of the most important tips for helping children feel safe is to always include their parents, especially if a child is currently in an attached phase. Make sure to still speak to the child and not just talk over them when doing a check up. Verify that you have the parent’s permission before addressing the child. Do all that you can to make the child feel comfortable.
Many children have a fear of the doctor and it is important to keep that in mind when working with children as a pediatrician. Be understanding of their feelings and understand that any poor behavior that they exhibit could be attributed to those feelings. Be compassionate and make sure that your staff is able to properly handle any difficult situations with children. Help the children feel comfortable and safer by talking to them about things that they are interested in and explaining how the appointment will help them feel better.
A great way that many pediatricians make sure that children feel safe in their offices is to create an inviting environment with positive, fun, and friendly decor. This may include funny murals on the walls or toys for the children to play with. Of course, it is important to make sure that the toys are kept clean so that illness is not transferred from one child to another or to have seperate toys for kids that are well. Have fun with how you decorate your office.
Another way to ensure that children feel safe and a way to help minimize the stress that your staff may be facing is to implement a call answering system. A lot of times, parents want to come into the office because they have questions regarding a condition that their child is experiencing. Having knowledgeable people on the phone who can answer their questions can help save them a trip to the doctor’s as well as help keep your busy schedule under control. A call answering service can also help you get appointments set up and that way your assistants can focus on making sure that your patients have the best and quickest in-person service, rather than being on the phone.
The last suggestion for kid-proofing your office is to utilize virtual healthcare options. This goes along with the idea of hiring a call answering service in that it helps your patients from their homes. What is great about using virtual healthcare options to help your pediatric patients is that the children will be meeting with you from a place where they are more comfortable. This means that they will likely be calmer and less stressed. This option is also great for answering quick questions that parents may have and to give parents peace of mind.
Here at CareXM, we offer superb call answering services and virtual healthcare options. We are HIPAA compliant and we have call answering services that are specifically designed for pediatric offices. Let us help give your clients the very best service possible. Contact us today for more information or to find the best telehealth plan for your company.