Communication with the media is an essential element of marketing for any big organization. Indeed, any significant change or decision should be appropriately planned and delivered to the press with the most clarity to avoid adverse perceptions by potential customers. Furthermore, transparency is crucial because it is challenging to control how the spectators understand the message; thus, ambiguous information can be misrepresented by people. For example, excessive negative representation by the media of the work of hospitals and their unethical affiliations with pharmaceutical companies resulted in the worsening of doctor-patient relationships in China (Sun et al., 2018). Therefore, healthcare organizations should have a special department responsible for communication with the mass media to provide accurate information. In the case of the hospital that decided to downsize its nursing staff, the interview taken with the administrator by the local television left an unfavorable impression on the viewers. Proper planning and discussion with the reporters could have prevented this outcome.
Giving a reasonable explanation would show the audience that the downsize is beneficial for patients. Effective communication could be done using the comparative message technique, which shows that one decision, idea, or item is better than the other (Hari, 2018). For instance, if the reason for reducing the number of nurses was purchasing new equipment, hospital management could prepare a list of points to demonstrate that technologies will significantly reduce medical errors, improving health outcomes. Furthermore, the administrator could mention that machines would function without breaks, ensuring continuous patient monitoring. Moreover, HR managers should reassure the public that all downsized nurses receive proper compensation and good recommendations for finding new job positions.
Social media is another approach to influence the audience and create a good impression of the hospital’s decision. A social media platform is a powerful tool used by patients and healthcare professionals for communication and knowledge exchange. Indeed, clinicians use them to educate the general population about disease prevention and share information related to lifestyle changes for people with chronic diseases (Smith, 2017). However, it is challenging to predict the reaction to the posted content online (Smith, 2017). Still, healthcare organizations can regulate the message sent to the audience by establishing genuine relationships with their followers and sharing material that can improve patient’s quality of life.
Although the audience’s response to the announcement of downsizing is hard to control, the hospital could put maximum effort into creating posts that highlight the positive aspects. Indeed, according to Smith (2017), “with 73% of Americans engaged in social media, it is no longer a question of whether hospitals should use social media in their marketing communications” (p. 197). Moreover, having supportive followers online could diminish the negative image created by the television interview because people become critical and selective about any information. Currently, people trust official websites and sources more than television news (Smith, 2017). Therefore, the hospital administration could first announce the downsizing of the nursing staff on one of its social media pages before the interview. Another strategy, in this case, might be telling reporters to mention the hospital’s social media page. This strategy could help deliver an accurate message and convince viewers to seek more information on the official page. Finally, Facebook or Twitter posts would allow listing the legitimate reasons removed by the television reporters from the final version of the interview to create compelling news for their spectators.
References
Hari, S. (2018). Essentials of management for healthcare professionals. CRC Press.
Smith, K. T. (2017). Hospital marketing and communications via social media. Services Marketing Quarterly, 38(3), 187-201.
Sun, J., Liu, S., Liu, Q., Wang, Z., Wang, J., Hu, C. J., Stuntz, M., Ma, J., & Liu, Y. (2018). Impact of adverse media reporting on public perceptions of the doctor-patient relationship in China: An analysis with propensity score matching method.BMJ Open, 8(8), 1-7.