In the last post I asked if “engaged patients” was a buzz-word or a reality given the differing ways people interpret the term engaged. If we believe that “engaging patients” means to actively listen to understand the patient’s needs, we are on a path to partnership with patients and families. Active listening opens the door to meaningful two-way communication. The added bonus of tuning-in for a couple of minutes is that patients sense a higher level of interest from the nurse and doctor. And this is your direct connection to managing HACAPS. HACAPS will never be a true measure of clinical … [Read more...]
What Do Our Patients Know About Their Hospital Care?
If you are a nurse or doctor and practice in a hospital today you understand the feeling of being on a fast train that has gone out of control. You and your patients are living in a rapidly changing environment, and the end point for this very fast ride is an unknown. Yet, you practice to achieve best outcomes for your patients, perhaps with variable resource and staffing. But, if the numbers (those measurements of outcome, satisfaction and other factors) are not in the ballpark, everyone suffers because money is lost to the hospital in which you practice. In a recent post for Forbes … [Read more...]
Downton Abby Doctors and The Evidence
Millions watched the latest episode of Downton Abbey where the lovely Lady Sybil’s protracted labor raises viewers anxiety as the drama unfolds. Relief engulfs the family as a healthy daughter is born and the weary mother told to rest. But even if you are not a clinician you are left with the feeling that things are still not right. Soon we see why…she experiences minutes of agony in seizures and dies as her family and the two physicians watch, helpless. Now what can we as 21st century folks take from this drama that may help us, or a loved one needing care? I believe stories are a rich … [Read more...]