Patients who are booking a blood test or a scan often have two questions before they arrive: what do I need to do beforehand, and how long will the report take? If the answers aren't on the website, they call the front desk, and the front desk spends the day reading out the same preparation notes.
A diagnostic centre website can answer both questions for every test. This article explains how to build the test list and the preparation notes so they're accurate and easy to find.
A searchable list of tests
Patients search by the name of the test, or by a symptom or a health check they've been told to book. List each test under its common name, with the alternative names patients might search for, such as "thyroid profile" and "TSH test". A small search box over the list helps a patient find a test in seconds.
Group the tests by type, such as blood tests, imaging, cardiac tests and health packages, so a visitor can browse as well as search.
Preparation notes, written clearly
For each test, say what the patient needs to do beforehand, such as fasting for a number of hours, stopping certain medicines only on the doctor's advice, or drinking water. Be precise, because a patient who misunderstands the instructions may need to come back. Ask the lab to check each note before it goes live.
Where a test has no preparation, say so. That reassures a patient who was worried they had to do something.
Report times
Show how long each test usually takes to report, and say how the report is shared. Use report times only if the lab can keep them. A line such as "most routine blood tests are ready within the same day or the next working day" is more useful than a precise time you can't guarantee. Mention any tests that take longer, such as cultures or specialised panels.
Prices and packages
If you publish prices, show them as the lab sets them, with a date and a note that prices may change. Describe health packages clearly, with the tests each includes, so a patient can compare them.
Accreditations
If the lab is accredited, such as by NABL, show the accreditation only if you actually hold it, and say which tests or areas it covers. An accreditation that doesn't cover a test should not be implied for that test.
Quick checklist
- Give each test its common name, and the other names patients search for.
- Write the preparation notes, such as fasting, and have the lab check each one.
- State where a test needs no preparation, so patients don't worry needlessly.
- Show report times only where the lab can keep them.
- Show accreditations only where the lab holds them, and for which tests.
- Date any published prices, and say that they may change.
What to do next
The diagnostic centre websites page shows how the test list, preparation notes and report section usually fit together. A business website is the right base for your diagnostic centre, and the business websites page explains how one is laid out. Start with the preparation notes for the five or ten tests your centre does most often, and have the lab check them.