The image of a health care organization should always be seen in a positive light because the health care industry deals with the improvement of the people’s quality of life. Because of this great amount of responsibility, health care organization must do everything in order to satisfy the needs of their clients as well as in providing the best and effective health care. However, there are some instances when employees in a health care organization commit a human error or perform below the established health care standards which most often than not leads to death or worsening of a patient’s condition.
As a result, criticisms and scrutiny are put on the organization giving them a bad representation in the health care industry. With this, a health care organization can lose its integrity as well as their clients. Moreover, the handling of a negative publicity must be done in an open and honest manner specifically addressing the concerns of the clients and their supporters. If this initial step is not met, the chances of losing the trust and confidence of their clients and supporters would be high. Most likely this circumstance would generate more negative publicity for them.
If credibility and trust have been lost, it can be very difficult to gain them back again (Cravens, 2009). There are many ways to mitigate the impact of a negative publicity to a health care organization. First, the organization must not act defensively in redeeming its reputation. They must “address the criticisms directly and promptly. ” Then, this must be followed by solid actions. There is a saying that actions speaks louder than words. So it is better to put the plans into action rather than just saying them. More so, show a subtle aggressiveness when being criticized.
Do not just acknowledge the criticisms but be more straightforward in dealing with the problem that was raised in order not to look weak and helpless. It must always be put into consideration that when people criticize, their concern should be taken seriously and that the organization should make them feel that their issues are being taken care of seriously (Cravens, 2009). Reference Cravens, J. (2009, February 9). For Nonprofit Organizations: How to Handle Online Criticism. Retrieved March 22, 2009, from http://www. coyotecom. com/outreach/critics. html