After performing certain procedures, doctors often give their patients aftercare advice. Essentially, this is guidance on steps and precautions the patient should take following their treatment to prevent any further injury.
Who Should Give Aftercare Advice?
But doctors aren’t the only professionals who should give aftercare advice. Anyone who provides any sort of treatment should give their customers clear guidelines both before and after the procedure.
If you work as a:
- Beautician
- Makeup artist
- Tattooist
- Esthetician
- Masseuse
- Sport physiotherapist
- Hairdresser
- Any other role that involves performing potentially risky treatments
…then this is your essential guide to aftercare advice. We’ll explain what it is, why it’s important, and explore the best way to give good aftercare advice.
What is Aftercare Advice, and Why Is It Important?
Giving your customers aftercare advice involves giving a set of clear instructions on steps and precautions they should take in the days, weeks, and months following their treatment.
The sort of aftercare advice you give will vary depending on the services you provide. A tattooist, for example, might advise their customers to keep their new tattoo covered for a set period of time. A beautician might offer extensive advice on how to make the effects of a certain treatment last as long as possible. And an esthetician, following a Botox or filler injection, might advise their customers on looking after their general health and wellbeing.
So Why is Aftercare Advice Important?
Aftercare advice is important for a few reasons:
- It’s good for your reputation. Treatments tend to last longer with proper aftercare. If your customers can enjoy the benefits of their treatment for longer, they’ll be more likely to leave good reviews, and more likely to recommend you to their friends and family.
- It keeps your customers safe. Doing certain things following certain procedures could result in illness or injury. With good aftercare advice, you can ensure your customers know what to do to keep themselves safe.
- It keeps you safe. If a customer does injure themselves following their treatment – or even if they’re just unhappy with the results of their treatment – then they may make a claim against you. But if you can demonstrate that you gave good aftercare advice, then you can prove that you did all you could to keep your customer safe, and to ensure the long-term effectiveness of their treatment.
How to Give Good Aftercare Advice
You can start giving aftercare advice before the treatment even begins. Your treatment should always start with a consultation. Talk to your customer, and ask them about their expectations. In particular, try and find out how long they expect the treatment to last.
If they have any unrealistic expectations, you can set things right. You can also use this opportunity to introduce some aftercare advice, through outlining some of the steps and precautions the customer will have to take following the procedure.
Before the treatment begins, ask the customer to sign a consent form. This way, you’ll have it all in writing: That the customer understands the risks associated with the procedure, and that you’ve explained the aftercare requirements. You can also use the consent form to find out if your customer has any allergies or medical conditions, and you can tailor both the procedure and the aftercare advice based on what they say.
Head here to read our complete guide to treatment consent forms, which links to some free templates.
Giving Advice During the Treatment, and After
Most treatments take time. It might be possible to advise your customer on long-term care during their appointment. If you can do so without breaking your concentration, you can explain what you’re doing while you’re doing it, and offer some tips on how the customer can take care of themselves following the treatment.
But for best results, you should give your aftercare advice in writing. Give the customer an “aftercare pack” at the end of their appointment, with a leaflet containing detailed information and guidance. If your customers book online, you could email them a digital version of this leaflet too.
Here’s three reasons why you should give your aftercare advice in writing:
- It lets you cover all bases. If you only ever give your aftercare advice in person, then you may forget to mention something important. But if it’s all in writing, you can ensure the customer knows everything they need to know.
- It gives the customer something to refer to. Your customer might forget some important aspects of their aftercare routine. But if they have a leaflet or an email to refer to, they’ll always have something to remind them.
- It keeps you safe. Remember we mentioned above how customers might take action against you following their treatment? Providing aftercare advice in writing means you’ll always be able to prove that you told the customer everything they needed to know.
Total Peace of Mind for You and Your Business
Consent forms and aftercare guidance are essential safeguards for both your customers and your business. Should anything ever go wrong, they’ll help you prove that your customer was aware of the risks associated with the procedure, and that you did all you could to keep them as safe as possible.
If a customer ever takes legal action against you, your aftercare advice could make all the difference. But it would still be costly and very stressful to face legal action. That’s why it’s important to get appropriate cover for your business. With the right insurance, you can rest assured that, no matter what happens, everything will be taken care of.
Treatment liability insurance will cover you for all the risks associated with your work. Head here to learn more about treatment risk insurance, and what it covers.
At Tapoly, we specialise in giving all types of professionals tailored insurance cover at an affordable price. You won’t pay for any cover you don’t need, and there are no hidden fees. To see how much you might expect to pay for your treatment liability cover, get in touch for a free quote in minutes.
If you have any questions or would like to discuss your options please contact our Tapoly team at info@tapoly.com, call our helpline on +44(0)2078 460 108 or try our chat on our website.