Our Blog – 21st Century Patients

Choosing Wisely: Are We Capable as a Nation?

There is a campaign underway to help consumers understand the risks and benefits of selected procedures commonly used in care. The Choosing Wisely campaign is a collaboration of more than 70 professional organizations whose intent is to bring best evidence into the public spotlight in order to help consumers take a more active role in decisions that affect their health and safety. By focusing on the patient-clinician relationship, the goals of this national initiative are as follows. “Choosing Wisely aims to promote conversations between clinicians and patients by helping patients … [Read more...]

Decisions!

Webster defines decision as “a choice that you make about something after thinking about it: the result of deciding.” In healthcare, we should be so lucky to have clear language around terms that are driving clinical care today! Patient engagement and shared decision-making are two terms that are used repeatedly but rarely with a description of what the terms mean or the related expectations for improving outcomes. But we are allocating time and resources to initiatives with these labels and expecting care delivery to be transformed. Decisions in Care Sometimes decisions are fun. … [Read more...]

21st Century Partnerships

Clinical Linkages’ blog, 21st Century Patients, is resurfacing after a yearlong hiatus. The new format will emphasize the critical importance of supporting the clinician-patient partnership today. Healthcare is in the midst of dramatic changes that are placing considerable pressure on the clinician-patient partnership. Without effective partnering between patients and clinicians, healthcare becomes an impersonal space despite sophisticated technology, medications, and a retail approach of customer service. Patients, families, and clinicians alike recognize that this undercurrent is … [Read more...]

Ebola: America Driven by Fear

Ebola is a nasty disease. But ignorance is worse. If you doubt this statement, take look at film clips from BBC World on the struggle to bring calm, through the use of the evidence, to the many frightened people in West Africa. Why, in America, where we have access to a 24/7 news cycle, has fear taken control of our brains? A recent Wall Street Journal article is a case in point. The article is about the nurse who volunteered to care for people with Ebola in Sierra Leone. It is a disheartening look at what misinformation does to people. It drives politicians to mandate rules so their … [Read more...]

Ebola: Are We Relying on EHR to Tell the Story?

Ebola — this word has its own hashtag, millions of tweets, hundreds if not thousands of articles in the past month, and the power to frighten many people. Fear is playing a large role in how this disease is perceived, which is a poor foundation for managing its spread. Communicating Key Information Electronic health records (EHR) are essential tools in clinical care. When written words in an electronic record become the primary way information is shared among busy clinical staff, I believe we inject increased risk into clinical care. The nation is following the Dallas case almost minute … [Read more...]

Are We Returning to a Life Before Penicillin?

Life before antibiotics is a scary thought, but a clarion call for behavior change has come from the Center for Disease Control (CDC). We are on the verge of an era without antibiotics to cure infection. Dr. Srinivasan calls this a “post antibiotic era”. To appreciate the staggering implications of this message, imagine the outcome of the following two scenarios without effective antibiotics. Your 8 year-old daughter is playing with the cat and suddenly the cat bites and scratches her. Despite carefully cleaning the wound and making a quick trip to the urgent care for antibiotic coverage … [Read more...]

CMS Requirements Will Be “Trick” for Hospital Budgets this October

October means fall leaves, Halloween goblins…and a new “spook” if your local hospital is one that will receive less money from the government. This new Halloween treat will last for a full year however, not just one night. The new healthcare law requires CMS to monitor quality and safety in hospitals and to rank order their results. The legal mandate is to deny payment to hospitals that fall in the bottom quarter of this list. They are designated worst performing and will lose money as a result. A New Beginning or a Cliff? The law has mandated pay for performance based on three categories: … [Read more...]

A Revolution is Coming for 21st Century Patients

Colonists and Patients July 4th is for celebrating America’s independence from England. We picnic, enjoy fireworks, and watch parades…its great fun. The Revolutionary war was anything but fun. It was gut-wrenching marches in stifling heat or blowing snow often with only rags tied on the soldiers’ feet because the boots were worn through. It was unthinkable that a people as varied in interests, wealth, and skills could come together for their desire to be free and beat the most powerful army in the world, but they did. Then the real work began, creating a government that would work and live … [Read more...]

Would You Remodel a Building Without a Blueprint?

Not likely. If you have been through a remodeling experience in your organization then you know it takes time, clear communication and above all a plan to enact the vision of the new facilities. Having been through this process, I recall the angst living amidst changes in the environment. In fact, there was more than one meeting where frustrations aired and the group had to be re-centered on the intended vision/outcome. Whew! Adopting EBP without a Blueprint? Evidence based practice needs a blueprint to work. It is one thing to say we need to translate the current evidence guideline on … [Read more...]

Listen! Say Our Patients

Patient engagement is the new mantra. Several posts on 21st Century Patients blog have addressed this phrase and the confusion surrounding the term. Likewise, there are can be no defined outcomes for “engagement”. Although a meaningless phrase it is here to stay – subject to various interpretations and possibly used as a weapon for someone’s benefit. I suggest we step back a moment and really look at our clinical care areas for the presence of “engagement”. What do you see? Where are the eyes and ears? Perhaps you can identify with the scene in the Emergency Department of this story in … [Read more...]