Public relations in healthcare involves managing relationships and reputation. Public relations officers act as a liaison between an organization and its internal and external stakeholders. They communicate key messages to influence opinion and behavior while maintaining credibility and objectivity. Effective public relations requires understanding different audiences, channels of communication, and addressing questions about goals, environment, key audiences, and strategies. The role requires balancing representation of the organization while maintaining independence. Managing relationships, communication, and reputation are central to public relations and patient satisfaction in healthcare.

1. Public Relationship in
Healthcare
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Senior Vice President, Worldwide Sales
March 24, <year>

2. The Concept
 Public relations today is much more a planned , persuasive social managerial
science than a damage-control reaction.
 Don’t get me wrong, the public relations professionals who have the most
organizational clout and get paid the most are those who demonstrate the
ability to perform in a crisis.

3. Public Relationship Officer
 Public relations (PR) is about managing reputation. A career in PR involves
gaining understanding and support for clients, as well as trying to influence
opinion and behavior.
 PR officers use all forms of media and communication to build, maintain and
manage the reputation of their clients. These range from public bodies or
services, to businesses and voluntary organizations.
 They communicate key messages, often using third party endorsements, to
defined target audiences in order to establish and maintain goodwill and
understanding between an organization and its public.

4. Management process of Public Relation
 They function at the edge of an organization as a liaison between the
organization and its external and internal publics.
 In other words, public relations managers have one foot inside the
organization and one outside, often this unique position isn't only lonely but
also precarious

5. The boundary role of Public Relations
 According to Grunig and Hunt, public relations
officers fill a boundary role.
 They function at the edge of the organization,
as a liaison between internal and external
publics.

6. Questions that public relations
practitioners must ask:
 What are we attempting to achieve, and where are we going in that pursuit?
 What is the nature of the environment in which we operate?
 Who are the key audiences we must convince in the process?
 How will we get to where we want to be?

7. Reporting to top management
 To serve as a true interpreter, the public relations director must report to the
CEO.
 To be valued by management, public relations must remain:
 independent
 credible
 objective

8. Public Relationship Channels
 Communication
The channel is the ‘pipe’ along which a message is conveyed, and there are a
wide variety of different communication channels available, from basic face-
to-face conversation, through to telecommunication channels like the
telephone or e-mail, and computational channels like the medical record.
 Messages
Messages are structured to achieve a specific task using available resources to
suit the needs of the receiver. Informal messages, which have variable
structures, include voice and e-mail messages. Structured or formal messages
include hospital discharge summaries, computer-generated alerts and
laboratory results.

9.  Security protocol
In health care, patient privacy concerns make it important that unauthorized
individuals do not access clinical records. To protect privacy, messages can be
scrambled or ‘encoded’ as a means to prevent unauthorized individuals
intercepting and interpreting them. For example, mobile phone conversations can
be scrambled to protect unauthorized eavesdropping, and reports of medical
investigations sent by e-mail can similarly have their contents encrypted.
 Decision-making:
Patient satisfaction increased when the importance of their social and mental
functioning as much as their physical functioning was acknowledged.
 Referrals:
Patient satisfaction increases when their healthcare team initiates referrals relieving
the patient of this responsibility.
 Continuity of care:
Patient satisfaction increases when they receive continuing care from the same
healthcare provider(s). Dignity: As expected, patients who are treated with
respect and who are invited to partner in their healthcare decisions report greater
satisfaction.

10. On the value of reputation:
“We can afford to lose money – even a lot of money – but
we cannot afford to lose reputation – not even a shred of
reputation.”
Warren Buffet
CEO, Berkshire Hathaway

11. Roles & Principles
 CONSULTATION
 SERVICE STANDARDS
 ACCESS
 COURTESY
 INFORMATION
 OPENESS & TRANSPARENCY
 REDRESS
 VALUE FOR MONEY
 ENCOURAGING INNOVATION & REWARDING EXCELLENCE
 CUSTOMER IMPACT
 LEADERSHIP & STRATEGIC DIRECTION

12. GUIDELINES FOR RECEIVING A
TELEPHONE CALL
1. Answer the telephone as quickly as possible, preferable within three rings.
2. Greet the caller in a friendly way and state immediately both your name and
your department/division. The caller will then know whether s/he has
dialed the correct number and be helped a quickly as possible.
3. Take note of your language usage throughout.
4. Obtain the caller’s name and the reason for the call in a tactful way.
5. Always try to address the caller by his/her name.

13. GUIDELINES FOR RECEIVING A
TELEPHONE CALL
6. When busy with a call, respond. If you remain silent, the other person will
wonder whether you are still there. It is polite to indicate that you are
listening by saying for example, “Yes”, “Of course”, “I agree”.
7. Give all your attention to the telephone conversation and do not speak to
other people with you in the room at the same time. Under no
circumstances should you eat while busy with a telephone call!

14. What is the role of Public Relations in
the hospital
 We are responsible for managing relationships between the hospital and our
clients, visitors, stakeholders, other organizations, as well as the internal
public.
 We apply our commitment to the understanding of our public’s needs, and
find solutions to these needs. We are well positioned to listen to the
concerns of our clients, to create harmony with and between them and our
institution, so as to build and maintain an ever lasting relationship based on
integrity, honesty and openness .

15. PATIENTS RIGHTS & RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Healthy and safe environment
2. Participate in decision making
3. Access to health care
4. Knowledge of one’s health
5. Insurance/medical aid scheme
6. Choice of health services
7. Treated by a named health care provider
8. Confidentiality and privacy
9. Informed consent
10. Refusal of treatment
11. A second opinion
12. Continuity of care
13. Complaints about health services

16. RESPONSIBILITIES
 Take care of your health
 Take care for and protect the environment
 Respect the rights of other patients
 Utilize the health system optimally and not abuse it
 Know local health services and what they are offering
 Provide health workers with relevant information
 Comply with the prescribed treatment and procedures
 Enquire about the related costs of treatment
 Take care of health records in your possession

17. When possible avoid negative language and
use positive responses.
Instead of… Say…
That’s not my job. I’m not authorized to do that but I will
find someone who can.
That’s not handled by my
department.
I think our Reference Department can
help but let me find out.
We’ve always done it this way. That’s our policy but I’ll see what I can
do.
I don’t know Let me find out for you.

18. Guidelines for dealing with difficult
patrons
1. Have an updated policy.
2. Develop communications skills.
3. Train staff.
4. Always observe verbal and non-verbal messages and respond accordingly.
5. Paraphrase.
6. Keep the conversation focused.
7. Remain polite and professional.
8. Refer to policies.
9. Use positive language.
10. Refer to a supervisor when necessary.

19. When speaking with a difficult customer,
remember to remain calm and focused.
Offer solutions.
Ask about the problem.
Offer help.
“Thank you for bringing this to my attention.”

20. Difficult Customer Situations
 Listen
 Empathize
 Respond professionally
 Recognize underlying factors
 Ask questions
 Give feedback
 Summarize

21. Argumentative Customers
 Speak softly
 Ask for their opinion
 Take a break – don’t’ get drawn in
Verbally Abusive Customer
 Remain calm
 Let the customer know the consequences,
calmly and objectively .
Saying “No”
 Sometimes you have to say “no,” but if you do it right, you can still get a
“thank you” for your service

22. Conclusion
 To successfully communicate with the public, all health facilities should
define/isolate their internal and external public.
 Within health care institutions should be determined/ defined the person(s)
for the (internal and external) communications.
 The PR Officers must be comfortable speaking with the public. Speaking skills
can be gained while climbing up the ladder to the position of PR Officers
 Creating Public Relationship is at the heart of everything we do in our society.
It’s central to our learning, our work and our leisure interests. But it’s
particularly important in health care, where patients/clients can feel
vulnerable, alone and frightened, and where you’ll be working with
colleagues in the health care team who rely on good communication to help
them deliver safe, coordinated and effective care.

23. Questions and Answers