top of page
THINKING BUSINESS
a blog by Chris Barrow

Why should a dental principal write their own blog for patients? -A guest blog by Dr Indra Rampersad

Writer's picture: Chris BarrowChris Barrow


Chris pushed me several years ago to start writing a blog. I say pushed as I wasn’t a believer. I didn’t think it would be useful. I didn’t think it would make a difference and I didn’t know why I should be the one writing it. Could it not be done by one of my staff as I was already so busy with being a dentist and running a practice? Nope. He was adamant; It should be me. But why? Chris said it helps patients connect and feel like they know you. Trust and engagement are won before they have even met you in person. This lowers the threshold for new patients to come and see you at best and gives a subject to chat about in the surgery at least.


He said do one and then another one and another one: before you know it, you get into a routine. It doesn’t need to be big, just be you. I didn’t have to attempt to write them daily like he did, but should try to get one out every week if I could.


Quite reluctantly I started. And what surprised me most is that it actually wasn’t that hard and I usually did manage to find a subject to write about. Nurses would point out things I could use as a subject. Patients would regularly comment on what they read and engage about the blog. It made me smile every single time, surprised somebody wanted to read what I wrote (hello imposter syndrome). I found more and more joy in writing and even bundled them in a hard copy for myself when there were enough to do so.


I took it to another level when I heard that some patients found it difficult to read online. I decided to “read it out” so we started attaching a spoken version to the blog. New patients have commented it was nice they already knew what my voice sounded like before they came.


Being very honest, it did usually take me more time than probably needed to get the blog exactly the way I wanted it to be as I tend to be a perfectionist. (Aren’t all dentists like that..) Baby three came around and it was a hefty delivery. My mind was somewhere else and never got “around” to writing again really, despite Chris mentioning to pick it up. I regularly thought I should really start blogging again, and my team tried to give gentle pushes as well. Life just seemed to get in the way. There were always more urgent tasks to tend to. Baby three turns three tomorrow...where did that time go?


Who would have thought it needed a bike accident of the coach himself for me to pick up my pen again…


You should try it.. It’s actually quite empowering.

250 views0 comments

Commentaires


bottom of page