Engage!

I came across a news story recently that gave me pause. A patient in Texas was sharing her recent inpatient experience, and frankly, it was one that made me understand why so many people hesitate – even fear –  being admitted.

Automated tools like digital signage allow hospitals to better communicate with visitors, patients, and staff in their facilities. Over the last year, the COVID-19 pandemic only accelerated the need for tech-enabled communication strategies. So, if your hospital is looking to launch digital signage in 2021, it’s vital that you choose the best solution for your specific needs. 

Even with all the industry focus on improving discharge planning, the process of helping a patient safely transition from the hospital to a new care setting continues to be fraught with challenges. 

No one knows better than our partner hospitals what an unprecedented year this has been. To the thousands of nurses, physicians, and ancillary care teams on the front line, and to the unsung heroes behind the scenes that keep our hospitals clean, patients fed, buildings safe and warm, and more – we say a heartfelt THANK YOU!

One of the most important duties nurses have is to prepare patients for discharge. 

Patients commonly complain that they feel both uninvolved and uninformed about the care process and their treatment. Fortunately, the patient experience doesn’t have to be this way.

In the pre-COVID world, healthcare professionals were able to spend more time with one another and their patients. The ability to convey and exchange clear, accurate information face-to-face played a critical role in producing positive patient outcomes and experiences. 

Picture yourself walking around one of Disney's theme parks, and you come to a section of the park called "The World of PECOT." At first, you think, "Perhaps someone painted a typo on the sign," but it's clear this isn't EPCOT. After reading the sign more carefully, you realize you've just stumbled upon the Patient Experience Center Of Tomorrow. Excitedly, you scream, "come on, kids!"

In the days before COVID-19, the day-to-day hospital patient experience was filled with plenty of opportunities to stay socially engaged, stimulated, and distracted.

A day in the hospital can be long, boring and lonely without someone or something to break the monotony. Perhaps never more so than now.