Engage!

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.

The American healthcare industry is known for many things—sadly, a pleasant patient experience isn’t always them. In large part, that’s because many hospitals have yet to adapt to meet the expectations of patients who are increasingly discerning, demanding, and technologically savvy consumers.

Educating patients while they are in the hospital is a challenge for busy nursing teams even in the best of times. And in the happiest of situations, like teaching a new mother about breastfeeding and infant care, for instance.

The best way to get patients back in the door is to send happy patients out the door. Improving the patient education experience is key.

Hospitals and nurses have long known that patients who are well educated about their health and treatment are likely to follow their care plan. With increased communication channels, patients are more likely to report better patient satisfaction, both of which positively impact health outcomes and hospital reimbursement.

Hospitals are under constant pressure to improve patient outcomes for many reasons. Among them, healthcare consumerism is creating a market for better-informed patients. Health outcomes and low readmission rates are two criteria patients use to choose a hospital. 

Hospital smart rooms are disrupting traditional patient room designs.  They also are transforming the traditional patient experience. 

Pick up any newspaper, turn on any TV or open any news web site and it is clear that healthcare accessibility and costs are top of mind concerns for American consumers. In the latest Politico poll, about 80% of respondents – in both parties – said lowering healthcare costs was “extremely” or “very” important.