Communication Strategies to Increase Patient Engagement and Improve Outcomes

Changes in the Healthcare Industry


Changes have been devised and implemented to help improve the organization and healthcare delivery activities in the healthcare industry. Because of the changing nature of the healthcare sector, physicians must be aware and have sophisticated skills in order to aid patients with their illnesses. Furthermore, advancements in healthcare enable physicians to be more organized, have more accurate information, and be more efficient in their work at health institutions.


Educating Physicians on Healthcare Technologies


Most healthcare facilities have developed a culture of holding seminars and conferences to educate physicians on the importance and benefits of employing new healthcare technologies. This change in the healthcare regarding educating the physicians about adopting the use of healthcare technology like the use of Electronic Health Record (EHR) helps in the management of the physician practices to achieve better decision making (Wah, 2015). During the seminars and workshops, the physicians get taught how to operate the technological equipment and the importance of using them. The seminars compare outcomes when the use of the technology is implemented and with the repercussions of its disuse, and this gives an insight of the advantages and efficiency of the particular health technology. Through the education of the doctors about the different technological aspects, they will realize the urgency of its adoption to help save patients' lives and increase organization within the health facility.


The Recruitment Process


The recruitment process has dramatically transformed from the past as initially, doctors were merely recruited after finishing their tertiary level of education. Currently, the health facility Human Resource management has to properly screen employees by ensuring the employees can think critically, conduct background checks among others. Also, there is the need to have doctors who have had several years of experience by practicing their skills and professions. The recruitment process has dramatically changed because in the past, healthcare positions advertisements were placed in newspapers and posters and this only reached a small geographical location. Currently, recruiting is made easy by the internet as recruitment no longer has to be physical for interviews as there is teleconferencing and there is a wide range of applicants from around the world (White, 2017). The HR and the applicants despite being far geographically can communicate through emails and live chats and conduct interviews thus being able to recruit qualified and competent doctors from across the globe.


Improved Communication


Communication in the health industry has significantly changed both between doctors and patients and between doctors and management. Currently, doctors have increased their patient engagement through improved communication whereby during consultation or treatment the doctor carefully listens to the patient with an open mind and full of empathy. This form of communication shows that the doctor is friendly and compassionate. The asking of questions by the doctor shows a genuine interest in the patient's wellbeing (Envision, 2016). Communication between the doctors and the management has also improved as meetings are usually organized in health facilities to enable the management pass crucial information to the physicians to make them understand the adopt policies created. On the other hand, the management can also be contacted by the physicians in case they have difficulty performing their duties and the management offers solutions. This enables the doctors successfully attain the aims, vision and objectives of the health facility (Kotter & Rathgeber, 2016).


Support from the Government and Other Organizations


The healthcare industry has a lot of activities and processes that happen on a daily basis and some of them may cause different strains in the healthcare system. The government sets aside resources and funds from the national budget for the healthcare industry. The funds and resources from the government assist the healthcare facility to run optimally without hardships. The funds and resources are for the different healthcare programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, Veterans Health Administration and the States Children Health Insurance Program. All of these programs enable proper service delivery to the diverse groups of people living in the country. The government invests around $500 billion in the programs mentioned above annually to help health facilities deliver quality care to patients (National Academics of Sciences Engineering Medicine, 2017). Other organizations donate healthcare equipment and resources like beds, MRI machines, and dialysis machines among others. Both the government and the other organizations' support helps reduce obstacles and difficulties the healthcare industry may face to help save patient lives.


Use of Checklists


Patient safety is paramount, even the most minute errors and inconsistencies in health procedures can lead to adverse effects on the patient's health condition. The use of checklists in healthcare involves the doctor checking the different actions or procedures used for treating a patient as it ensures no omissions or errors are made since everything is detailed in the checklist. The checklist is majorly used with patients in Intensive Care Unit (ICU), and its use reduces line infections, surgical site infections, ventilator-associated pneumonia among others. The introduction and adoption of the use of checklists in healthcare have greatly helped to lower mortality rates, improve patient safety and increase recovery period of patients. The use of checklists has been on the rise since the year 2010, and its repeated use by the physicians has made the doctors competent due to the routine of always checking the details of the checklist (Health Research and Educational Trust, 2013).


Conclusion


In conclusion, it is evident that the healthcare industry is experiencing various changes like educating the doctors about use and importance of adopting healthcare technology. The internet has also changed the recruitment process involved in the healthcare industry as applicants from all over the world can apply to become doctors, and their qualification can be analyzed online. Improved communication through listening has made the doctors more friendly and sympathetic towards patients. The government is also supporting the healthcare industry by allocating resources and funds to different healthcare programs.

References


Wah, R, M. (2015). 3 ways technology is changing medical education. Retrieved from: https://wire.ama-assn.org/education/3-ways-technology-changing-medical-education


White, K. S. (2017). 4 ways technology has changed recruitment -- for better (and worse) Retrieved from: https://www.cio.com/article/3180952/hiring/4-ways-technology-has-changed-recruitment-for-better-and-worse.html


Envision. (2016). Six Physician Communication Strategies to Increase Patient Engagement and Improve Outcomes. Retrieved from: http://sheridanhealthcare.com/news-events/blog/six-communication-strategies-increase-patient-engagement-improve-outcome


National Academics of Sciences Engineering Medicine. (2017). Overview of the Government Health Care Programs. Retrieved from: https://www.nap.edu/read/10537/chapter/4


Health Research and Educational Trust. (2013). Checklists to Improve Patient Safety. Retrieved from: http://www.hpoe.org/Reports-HPOE/CkLists_PatientSafety.pdf


Kotter, J., & Rathgeber, H. (2016). Our iceberg is melting: Changing and succeeding under any conditions. New York: Portfolio.

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