Step #7 Toward Being Trusted Facilities Where Physicians Refer Their Patients [Connecting Health Clubs to Healthcare Series]

Research conducted at the Harvard School of Public Health between May 2019 and February 2020 compiled data from physicians about characteristics of health & fitness centers/exercise professionals that they trust to refer their patients. Step #7 of a 10-step roadmap for health & fitness centers toward being trusted facilities where physicians refer their patients is:

Invite physicians to work with your exercise professionals to showcase their experience with different injuries, diagnoses, and conditions. 

Physicians observe how their own personal familiarity with exercise professionals influences their likelihood of referral. They want to know that exercise professionals have experience working with special populations, such as people with different injuries, disabilities, and diagnoses. Increase physicians’ personal familiarity with your exercise professionals.

Ideally, I have personal interaction with them. I know what they do...and I know that they are going to have some knowledge of the conditions that patients have that I am sending to them. Physician

Bantham, A. (2020). Perspectives on Exercise Prescriptions/Referrals and Patient Exercise Behavior Change: A Mixed Methods Study of Physicians and Exercise Professionals (Doctoral dissertation).