Becker's Clinical Quality & Infection Control

16 PATIENT EXPERIENCE Physicians give patients 11 seconds to explain reasons for visit before interrupting By Julie Spitzer O n average, patients have 11 seconds to explain the reasons for their visit before physicians interrupt, according to a recent study in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. A group of researchers led by Naykky Singh Ospina, MD, of the University of Florida in Gainesville analyzed the first few minutes of tape recorded consultations between 112 patients and their physicians in various U.S. clinics during physician training sessions. In 36 percent of the reviewed visits, patients were able to outline the reasons for their visits first. However, patients who had the chance to explain their symptoms were still interrupted seven out of every 10 times within an average of 11 seconds from when they started speaking. Uninterrupted patients took an average of six seconds to explain their concerns. e researchers also determined that primary care physicians allowed patients more time to list their aliments with fewer interruptions than specialists. According to Dr. Singh Ospina, specialists oen skip the introductory agenda-setting step since they already know why a patient has been referred. "However, even in a specialty visit con- cerning a specific matter, it is invaluable to understand why the patients think they are at the appointment and what specific concerns they have related to the condition or its management," Dr. Singh Ospina said in a news release. Issues such as time constraints, inadequate training on patient communication and physician burnout may be influencing physicians' interruptions. "Our results suggest that we are far from achieving patient-centred care," Dr. Singh Ospina concluded. n Why this Iowa hospital uses essential oils in its ER By Alyssa Rege T o help patients fight symptoms of nausea and vomiting in the emergency room, nurses at CHI Health Mercy Council Bluffs in Iowa are testing an alternative to traditional medicine: inhaled essential oils. CHI Health Mercy nurses conducted a study earlier this year examining the effects of traditional medicine and in- haled essential oils in reducing nausea, according to Live Well Nebraska. Nurses began by reviewing patient charts and discovered it took roughly 45 minutes for patients to receive an- ti-nausea medication. During the trial, nurses offered 52 patients a blend of peppermint, lavender, ginger and spearmint oils — and were able to get the concoction into their hands in about 17 minutes, from the time patients arrived in the ER to when they received the remedy. The results of the trial showed half the patients that received the essen- tial oil blend reported an improve- ment in their symptoms. Sixty-three percent of ER nurses also reported seeing the value of having the blend available for patients as an alternative to traditional medication. "[Patients] can just sniff it, and it can go to work immediately," one CHI Health Mercy nurse told Live Well Nebraska. Other health systems nationwide have reportedly begun introducing essential oils as part of a multimodal pain management approach, and have seen success with them as an early intervention for laboring moth- ers and those who have had cesarean sections, according to the report. CHI Health Mercy nurses said the essential oils, which are distributed in a plastic pack with a foil cover and a perforated barrier to keep oils from contacting skin, can also be sent home with patients after outpatient surgeries and last about 72 hours. n 5 consumer thoughts on healthcare providers' patient engagement By Julie Spitzer H ealthcare consumers are forcing health-related startups and providers to rethink and emphasize the user experience, ac- cording to a Black Book survey. Black Book asked 650 healthcare consumers in the U.S. about their thoughts on health providers' en- gagement abilities during the second quarter of 2018. The average age of respondents was 37.2. Here are five survey insights: 1. Most consumers (92 percent) said health providers should make improv- ing the customer experience a top stra- tegic priority over the next 12 months. 2. Consumers are confident ad- vanced technology will be available in the third quarter of 2018, including digital provider tools (93 percent), vir- tual access points (85 percent), online scheduling (97 percent), online pay- ment options (92 percent), and price transparency tools (94 percent). 3. Patients (90 percent) no longer feel obligated to stay with healthcare provid- ers who don't meet their digital needs. 4. Eighty-eight percent of respon- dents under the age of 40 said they would choose their next healthcare provider based on the strength of their online presence. 5. The majority of consumers (83 percent) said these four technologies were most important: • Digital scheduling • Online payment options • Portal and engagement capa- bilities • Results reporting tools n

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