As temperatures drop and more people stay indoors, cold weather infections are on the rise, putting a strain on the healthcare system. Awareness campaigns can help combat the upcoming wave of infections. Educating patients can help reduce the surge and create effective strategies to manage the pressures on staff.
The reason behind winter awareness
Common cold weather infections like the flu, COVID-19, and bronchitis are set to surge in the colder months. According to the World Health Organization, there are around a billion cases of seasonal influenza annually, including 3-5 million cases of severe illness. To prepare for this surge, healthcare organizations can begin by using targeted campaigns to educate patients on how to navigate the season.
These campaigns provide information for individuals to take the appropriate measures to prevent the transmission or additional infection by condensing information related to the isolation, treatment, and hygiene practices that should be implemented. It also provides the necessary information to differentiate between illnesses like colds and flu to prevent the unnecessary use of antibiotics.
How to construct a winter awareness campaign
Define the goals
Clear goals are the starting point for an effective winter illness campaign. This begins by asking the question: What do you want to achieve? Goals might look like:
- Raising awareness about specific winter illnesses.
- Educating patients on prevention strategies and when to seek medical help.
- Encouraging vaccination and checkups.
- Increasing client basis through relevant and effective communication.
Identify the target audience
Segmenting audiences based on factors like demographics and health conditions allows for messages to be tailored to the needs of patients. This can easily be achieved using the segmentation features of HIPAA compliant email services like Paubox. In the long run, this avoids bombarding patients with irrelevant information. Possible segmentations include:
- High risk individuals
- Parents of young children
- General population
Create crafted messages
It is necessary to develop clear and engaging content that connects with patients instead of deters them from content related to the organization. Elements that should considered include:
- The subject lines like “When To Call Your Doctor: Tips to Understanding Flu and Cold”
- The patient's name and other relevant information should be used to make the email feel more personal.
- Include details like the symptoms, prevention tips, when to see a doctor, and links to resources.
Choose the right HIPAA compliant email platform
Make sure to identify an email marketing platform that takes compliance into consideration. As mentioned before Paubox allows for the segmentation of email lists but its benefits continue beyond there. Compliance is ingrained into the platform, allowing providers to use convenient features without considering if every email sent is HIPAA compliant.
Measuring the success of winter awareness campaigns
The success of any email campaign can be measured using specific metrics. These allow for providers to gain insight into how providers should adjust their campaign's impact on target audiences. These metrics, simply include:
- Open rates
- Click through rates
- Conversion rates
- Feedback from surveys
Related: How to measure the success of your patient email campaigns
FAQs
What is market segmentation?
The process of dividing a broad target market into smaller more defined groups based on shared characteristics.
When is consent necessary to contact patients?
When their information is used for marketing purposes that are not related to their treatment or other general healthcare operations.
Is using patient information in marketing campaigns a HIPAA violation?
If it is done without gaining the patient's consent, yes.
Kirsten Peremore
