VP of Clinical Excellence at MDM Healthcare, Linda Robinson, tells patients that healthcare isn’t something that happens to them. It’s something that’s happening with them—and this patient engagement drives hospital quality and safety initiatives.
In the past, engagement with medical professionals wasn’t emphasized. A doctor would simply tell a patient what to do. As care is being humanized, though, patients are empowered, educated, and engaged. This process includes respect and dignity for the patient, sharing information with them, and otherwise incorporating the patient and their goals into the healthcare provided.
In this episode of PX Space, Linda shares her insights from decades in the nursing world, and how patient engagement drives quality and safety. Feel free to also read about her interview here as well.
Technology in Patient Safety Initiatives
The world at large is embracing technology with hospitals still in the early stages of incorporating it into patient rooms. When technology is leveraged, it elevates the patient experience, humanizing care even when healthcare staff aren’t in the room. That’s because the information that patients need will now be at their fingertips.
Successful technology must be intuitive. When someone is sick, they don’t want to figure out how to use something. They’re too overwhelmed. Hospital room technology, then, should be as simple as a television remote.
Take, for example, the digital whiteboard. Unlike the physical boards that can be updated in a patient’s room by hand when there’s time, the digital whiteboard is current in real-time. The patient can review it throughout the day, seeing information that’s from the EMR system. This allows them (and their families) to know what’s happening that day; see the changes in bedside shifts; see what tests are ordered; find out activities they need to do; and see established goals.
So many times, Linda shares, patients express frustration over not knowing what’s happening. With digital whiteboards, they will, which is a perfect example of using technology to drive quality and safety outcomes forward. Easily accessible bedside information reduces anxiety, comforts patients and their families, informs them, and transforms their care in win-win ways. Technology delivers information in digestible bites, targeted to their goals.
If, for example, a patient shares how they want to quit smoking, technology can deliver a short video on steps to take. If a fall screening indicates a risk, as part of patient safety initiatives, they can receive a video that shares information about preventing falls in the hospital. The patient can watch it upon receipt or use their remote to get a reminder about the video later.
Hospital technology enhances health literacy and can improve patient outcomes while also keeping hospital costs down.
Journey PX: Patient Engagement Software
Move quality and safety in healthcare forward with our patient engagement solution. Automating the patient education process benefits the patients, their families, healthcare staff, and the hospital, overall. When patients receive targeted information and get answers to their questions, they can more fully participate in their own patient experience and healthcare outcomes. Contact us to schedule your demo today.