6 Ways To Promote A Hospital Construction Project Positively

From the perspective of business people, undergoing a construction project means opportunities for better services and operations. Regardless of the type and industry, a construction project always aims to provide and do better. That certainly is the goal for hospital projects.

Many hospitals plan and undergo construction projects to improve their facilities, accommodate more patients, and adapt to modern technological advancements. But despite the positive goal of hospital construction, undergoing one can be stressful for patients and medical professionals. As a result, when hospitals operate during a project, patients’ experience can be uncomfortable.

Because of that, there are cases when people perceive a construction project to be negative. But despite that, we all know that the goal of construction projects is for the better. The inconveniences patients and professional workers experience affect its positive purpose. In this post, let’s discuss ways to promote a hospital construction project.

1 –  Share an overview of the expected result of the project

The first way to promote a hospital construction project better is to share the project plan. It’s best to do it where people will see and notice around the hospital during their visit. You can simply print posters, flyers, and brochures that contain the expected result of the project.

Doing this is also a great pass time for people waiting in the hospital. As we know, health appointments can be long, and people wait hours for their turn. That’s why sharing an overview of the project plan around the hospital premises is a great way to inform patients about the potential of the construction project they’re witnessing.

2 – Post friendly and cautionary signs that a construction project is ongoing

Aside from sharing an overview of the project’s potential outcome, it’s also critical to post friendly and cautionary signs that a construction project is ongoing. If you plan to relocate offices to another building that may become crowded due to space limitations, it’s a must to post friendly and cautionary signs.

Using phrases like “thank you for understanding” and “please bear with us” is helpful to avoid people having negative comments about the inconveniences they’ll experience due to the project. It’s a great way to prevent patients from feeling irritable that their hospital stay is too long, uncomfortable, and untimely considering their health condition. 

3 – Inform clients upon appointments regarding the hospital’s condition

One of the reasons many patients are irritable with construction projects is that they’re unaware that the hospital is undergoing one. As a result, they end up disappointed, irritated, and angry upon arriving. Of course, their feelings are understandable since people going there have health conditions and are not feeling well. That’s why informing them before appointments is a must.

You can do this by informing all of the hospital’s offices, admin workers, and other health professionals about this mandate. When each office or doctor receives a call appointment, they should immediately inform the caller that the hospital is undergoing a construction project. They should also ask if that’s okay with the patient and give them an overview of what to expect once they arrive on the premises.

4 – Utilise social media by posting notices and announcements

Aside from posting cautionary signs and informing clients upon appointments, it’s also helpful to utilise social media by posting information regarding the project. If your hospital has social media pages or a website, I suggest using them to share the news about the construction project. 

It would be best to pin the announcement on your social media pages or website so that people visiting your account would know about the hospital’s current condition. You can also use the same messaging you’ll post as cautionary signs around the premises. Sending messages to your subscribed patient list would be a wise move, too. It would benefit both patients and health professionals before visiting.

5 – Train employees to be extra friendly and cautious with patients

Another way to promote hospital construction projects positively is to train your employees to be extra friendly and cautious with patients. I know that it’s not the job of medical professionals to be hospitable. But since construction inconveniences can make people touchy and irritable, it would be helpful if the professionals in the hospital would emanate and promote a friendly and positive environment.

It is critical, especially if the hospital’s air condition or space availability is not optimally working. When patients see that health professionals are trying to promote a positive environment, they will surely appreciate it. Also, it would help health professionals to be more positive despite working under such circumstances. 

6 – Make the temporary spaces as pleasing and welcoming as possible

Sometimes, despite the effort to make the hospital a positive space, it’s still difficult to ignore the effects of construction. It’s still likely that patients can experience noise, air pollution, dust, and other matters that could make their stay uncomfortable.

That’s why to help make the hospital welcoming, try decorating the temporary spaces to be pleasing and homey. Adding flowers and ornaments in the waiting areas would be helpful. Adding calming fragrances like air humidifiers to help patients relax would be nice. But of course, you must be cautious in choosing fragrances that are not strong because some patients may be sensitive to strong smells and may be allergic to some ingredients.

Undergoing a construction project can be challenging, but it’s for the hospital’s long-term best. 

Indeed, it’s not the best experience to visit the hospital during a construction project. However, there are ways the management can do to make the patient experience and stay better. You can start by trying these six simple ways. Remember that construction projects are not only hard for patients but also for medical professionals. So it’s best to work together in making the process less inconvenient than it could be. 

About the author:

Bianca Banda is a writer for MTX Contracts U.K., a privately owned construction and engineering company. MTX delivers single-source construction and engineering solutions to the UK’s public and private sectors, consistently promoting innovation and sustainable construction.