Ensuring patient health and well-being is an essential aspect of patient-centered care. In fact, we can tie it to improved patient experience and positive healthcare outcomes. But, whatever the case may be, most healthcare leaders and professionals see patient care, safety, and security as three different problems.
For instance, they consider patient security part of their care procedures and don’t categorize it under the overall healthcare experience. Moreover, these healthcare leaders and professionals avoid treating patients that don’t come under their safety protocols, despite patients showing they can uphold and follow them—however, this is where they are wrong.
However, hearing patients out, driving patient satisfaction, and improving patient-centered care are vital aspects of good healthcare. In the end, patient-centered care is a principal determinant of good quality care.
Reports and studies show that it is a multi-dimensional idea, and healthcare facilities need to do well in this department to ensure positive patient outcomes. Unfortunately, little to no importance is given to patient-centered care, and healthcare facilities are just out there to make a fast buck these days.
With this in mind, let us look at how healthcare leaders and professionals can improve patient care at medical facilities as a whole. Some of these ways are listed down below.
By creating a safe patient experience
Creating a safe and secure patient experience entails more than just keeping the patient happy. Guaranteeing patient safety, security and ensuring that patients don’t face any preventable issues are of the utmost importance to enhance patient care.
Health care workers can enhance the quality of patient care by enrolling in a masters in clinical research management degree program to allow themselves to utilize medical research to identify better caregiving methods.
As we emphasize providing high-quality patient care, it is more than just education; it combines education and hands-on experience that defines quality patient care. So, healthcare leaders and professionals must adopt a considerate and patient-centered routine to ensure a positive and secure experience inside the healthcare facility.
Moreover, it is also about proactively addressing persistent medical problems and providing and taking a holistic approach to healthcare. After all, your patients won’t have a good healthcare experience if you cannot treat them from head to toe.
By promoting healthcare facility cleanliness
Ensuring healthcare facility cleanliness is an excellent way to improve overall patient care. Therefore, Healthcare leaders and professionals must ensure that all healthcare facility areas remain neat and shielded from hospital-acquired conditions and diseases.
Although hospital-acquired diseases have gone down these days, they still present a challenging healthcare issue to patients and healthcare workers. In fact, according to a CDC report, hospital-acquired conditions lead to 75,000 patient deaths in 2011.
That said, focusing on the medical facility environment stretches far beyond keeping it clean. In fact, according to an American Hospital Association report, healthcare leaders need to be mindful of working hours and call lights to guarantee patients get the rest they deserve, which is of the utmost importance for quick recovery.
In addition, they need to implement working practices and ensure disturbances don’t lead to patients waking up in the middle of the night, especially after they have gone through surgery.
By ensuring every patient gets time appointments and treatments
Creating appointment protocols and schedules is crucial for providing on-time, high-quality patient care. After all, if patients cannot access therapy or treatment on time, they might get sicker waiting for the doctor to see them. Healthcare officials like administrators must implement appointment and scheduling protocols to reduce patient waiting times.
They need to understand what the patient expects when it comes to accessing healthcare facilities. And afterward, work towards providing them the exact thing. Moreover, they need to ensure that doctors and other healthcare professional see their patients on time.
For instance, if an individual calls the medical facility to get an appointment, healthcare leaders must ensure that patients get it according to their feasibility. If slots aren’t available, they must provide patients with appointment times that work in their favor.
If patients have to wait around to get an appointment, they might seek medical care from another medical facility. In the end, timely appointments are a vital part of ensuring high-quality patient care.
By improving treatment accuracy through EHR access
Allowing patients access to clinical notes and healthcare is an effective way to reduce record misinterpretation. After all, when patients have access to their medical records through the EHR systems, they can identify errors in their medical history.
In fact, according to an OpenNotes study, experts suggest that granting patients access to clinical notes will help healthcare leaders spot mistakes and improve patient care in the process.
Healthcare leaders and administrators should keep everyone transparent and open to the patients’ eyes for such a thing to happen. Moreover, this practice will allow patients to provide an accurate medical history when they decide to see a healthcare professional in the future for any recurring medical issue.
Due to this, they will receive the most accurate and effective medical treatment.
Conclusion.
Contrary to what people say, our healthcare system is not as faulty as everyone suggests. Healthcare leaders, professionals, and administrators consistently strive to ensure that everyone receives the best possible healthcare they can afford.
While public healthcare facilities might not be comparable to private hospitals, they are still critical of our necessities as human beings.
