A patient comes to you for an appointment. He has just been diagnosed with an ailment that is not treatable on one, two or three appointments postponed in time. You know she has a lot of questions and concerns about therapy and a possible lifestyle change. You also need feedback from the patient to be able to monitor and modify the therapeutic process on an ongoing basis. You realize that changing habits requires the patient's trust in you, cooperation and perseverance.
So you decide to give the patient your private phone number to be in touch on WhatsApp or by SMS and fill in the gaps between visits. You have dozens of such patients. Any of them can write or call you at any time. The first SMS during dinner with the family. Another phone call at the time of an appointment with another patient. Messages from patients are mixed with messages from family and friends on the phone.
How to ensure the patient's sense of security and at the same time not lose the sense of control, agency and healthy boundaries? You are not alone. 80% of doctors in Poland ask themselves this question, because so many are in contact with their patients outside of office visits1.
In this article, we will try to answer them by presenting two paths through which you can restore your healthy boundaries without losing the effectiveness of patient care.
Path # 1 - Separate phone number for contacting patients
For physicians who manage patients in a hybrid way (in-patient and over the phone) the main challenge is to maintain control over communication with patients, which occurs at inappropriate times, such as during leisure time (which is a problem for more than 60% of doctors) or in consultation with another patient (which 31% of doctors experience)1.
Having a separate phone number is an effective way to take care of hygiene Your work. This will avoid mixing private conversations with messages from patients. In addition, a separate number will allow you to manage your availability to patients.
How to implement a separate number for contacting patients?
Step 1 - Set up a new phone number
You can purchase a separate phone with a new SIM card, insert an additional SIM card into your current phone (if it supports two SIM cards at the same time), or install a virtual SIM card (e-SIM) with a new phone number.
Step 2 - Update contact information on the web and on business cards
Make sure that all your professional profiles on the internet (Google, Practical Medicine, Social Media, website) and on business cards (or other printed materials) have updated information about your new phone number to contact patients.
Step 3 - Turn off notifications and set your availability times
By limiting notifications to your new number, you can more easily manage your availability so that messages from patients don't interfere with your in-patient appointments or your rest time. Set yourself a 30-minute window during the dayin which you respond to messages from patients. In this way, you will also avoid reacting to individual messages at different times of the day and being distracted at work.
Step 4 - Inform current patients
Prepare a template for messages to patients, in which you inform them of the new phone number. Use the template every time you receive a message from a patient to your private number. You can use the ready-made template below:
Hello, from now on I am available to patients under a new phone number: XXX XXX XXX. I reply to messages every day between 17:00 and 17:45. I cordially greet
Step 5 - Educate Your Patients
Involve patients in the decision-making process by educating them, In what cases to contact you remotely, and which cases are urgent and require a different procedure (e.g. a stationary visit or a visit to the SOR). In this way, you will take away the responsibility of being under the phone 24h/day.
Step 6 - Familiarize yourself with the legal aspects of remote patient contact
Make sure you know how to follow the law by contacting patients over the phone. For more information, see the 15-minute webinar Secure online communication with patients.
Track # 2 - Doctor.One Medical Communicator
Medical communicator works much like a dedicated patient phone number for your patients, but In addition, it meets medical and legal requirements and allows doctors to directly account for remote care in the app.
You can transfer all communication with patients from channels such as SMS, WhatsApp, Messenger, Email to medical messenger in a few steps.
Step 1 - Download the free Doctor.One app
Download the Doctor.One Doctor app and create a medical account in it (it will take you only 3 minutes).
Step 2 - Set up your accessibility windows
In the Doctor.One app to You specify the time in which you want to reply to messages from your patients. Instead of multiple notifications at different times, you get one notification that won't surprise you. You don't have on-call or live-chat with a queue of patients. Your patients are calm, because by writing in the chat, they see when to expect your response at the latest. Thanks to this you no longer have the pressure to react immediately on the news.
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Step 3 - Transfer patient contacts
Start by transferring contacts with patients, that you already have saved on your phone. All you have to do is mark the numbers you want to transfer, and the app will automatically inform your patients about the new communication channel via SMS.
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Step 4 - Refer new patients directly to the app
If you receive a message on your private phone from a patient that you do not have registered in your contacts, invite them to continue to contact Doctor.One using from your individual link (available in the app).
At the appointment, instead of giving your phone number, ask for the patient number and invite them to contact you at Doctor.One with a single button in the app.
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Whatever path you choose, You won't notice the change overnight. Changing habits, both in the patient's therapeutic process and in defining a new standard of care, requires your time, perseverance and consistency. Although the road is not easy, the benefits you will feel are much greater than the effort invested in the beginning. You will hear more about this in the stories of doctors who have already gone this way.
