For operational efficiency, look from the patient perspective

by Lourdes Boue My mom suffers from advanced Alzheimer's disease and requires around-the-clock care. Recently, my workday routine was broken by a call from Mom's caregiver. "Your mother is having excruciating abdominal pains, and I think we need to go to the emergency room right now," she said. As it happens, the closest ER is at my own place of employment, West Kendall Baptist Hospital, located in a Miami suburb southwest of the city. I raced down to our emergency department to await Mom's arrival. During the brief walk downstairs, I shed my role as the hospital's vice president of operations. I entered the ED simply as a worried family member, one among dozens already seated there, waiting for news of their own relatives. I am gratified to say that in the hours that followed, our ED team exceeded my expectations, providing expert and compassionate care. During a quite busy evening in the department, Mom was processed quickly through triage, stabilized and moved into a room. Yet, all the time I have spent in these halls as a hospital executive did not fully prepare me for the patient's-eye view of hospital care. For example, the familiar routine of patient Q&A seemed painfully repetitive to me as I recited Mom's medical history over and over to various staff members. As a professional, I understand the redundancy, yet I now see the strain it can impose on patients and family members. From a patient-records perspective, the fact that the physician could instantly...
Source: hospital impact - Category: Health Managers Authors: Source Type: blogs