Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/868709
67 Executive Briefing How Communication Technology Can Help Hospitals Beat 3 All-Too-Common Problems B efore email, a care team would gather around a table and sort through case notes, reviewing patients one by one. The senior physician and nurse would then make their way around the acute care unit, stopping at each bed to discuss the patient's treatment trajectory. Most of these interactions don't happen anymore. "It takes too long — one thing that is obvious, the better the care teams can collaborate the better the outcomes," says Tony Rich, Healthcare Specialist at Unify, a global telecommunications company. Technology is a major reason for the demise of this lengthy, but effective, process. "We've had this disruption with the evolution of mobile connectivity, including smart phones and tablets. You have to bear in mind that not everything is locked to the desk [anymore]," Mr. Rich says. Functioning in a mobile healthcare environment, hospitals must recognize providers' differing preferences in device use. While one physician may prefer a text via a smart phone, another may opt to read notifications on a tablet. "You're giving [providers] a better experience because you're giving them devices they want to use," Mr. Rich explains. Communication-based technologies, specifically, have the power to boost staff performance and experience, which in turn, positively impacts patient experience and outcomes. Communication is the cornerstone of care Strong communication between staff members proves critical to patient care. When communication goes awry, it can present fatal consequences. A 2016 CRICO Strategies study found communication failures were associated with 1,744 patient deaths over five years, wracking up $1.7 billion in malpractice costs. Effective lines of communication between providers and patients are vital to patient safety and experience. Every patient is assigned a care team that must cooperatively perform tasks to achieve the best outcome. "If that care team can't communicate effectively with themselves, the patient and others, then the result could be tragic," says Mr. Rich. The problem is providers are often stuck at their desks inputting information into EHRs, as opposed to communicating with staff members or having face-to-face discussions with patients. Physicians reported they spend 50 percent of their day on average entering data into EHRs and completing clerical work. Mobile technology helps care teams avoid the limitations desktop tools place on their practice and interactions. Further, solutions that can travel with a clinician enable more accurate and comprehensive data entry. "If we can get those systems mobile, it will improve the information in those systems because it's in real- time and fresh in their heads," suggests Mr. Rich. Additionally, this immediate alert and response set-up will enhance communication among providers. Unify deploys Unified Communications, which combines various communication platforms into one combined user experience. The platform leverages email, text and voice messaging integrated with live voice, audio and video conferencing into one interface. Unify's technology sends alerts to physicians' preferred devices, limiting the risk of missed notifications on platforms that providers don't regularly check. "The reason you want that intervention in the middle [of a care episode] is because [our solutions realize] that Doctor A has gone off shift, Doctor B is now on shift, so Doctor B should be alerted," explains Mr. Rich. After patient discharge, providers must still pull together to ensure proper care is delivered. Although the days of a care team meeting around a table are long gone, providers can leverage the same idea and turn the same interaction into a conference call or even extend it to a full video conference with nothing more than a click of a mouse or swipe of the finger. 3 common communication problems Many hospitals run into obstacles when trying to implement secure and effective lines of communication. With healthcare cyberattacks up 63 percent year-over-year in 2016, organizations are scrambling to protect their devices and databases. Equipped with about 20 years of experience in the healthcare arena, Mr. Rich highlights three of the most common communication problems he's witnessed in the acute care setting: 1. Undesirable devices. It's unlikely all providers prefer the same method of communication. By allowing providers to choose their preferred device, hospitals will enhance communication. "We can overreach the intelligence we know in real time and deliver that message to [a physician's] preferred device at that moment in time, not just to an inbox," Mr. Rich notes. 2. Email and app insecurity. Hospitals rely on email to function, with many leaders assuming people prefer this mode of communication. Email is the chosen medium across most organizations, for tasks such as scheduling and patient communication, but Mr. Rich warns it's "only a matter of time before somebody sends [the email] to the wrong place." Similarly, apps represent a "CIO's nightmare," as smart devices are unregulated. Both emails and apps present ample opportunity for a breach of data and patient confidence. 3. Lack of time. Physicians no longer have time to sit around the table and review each patient case with their care team. Burdened by intense time pressure, physicians benefit from the creation of a virtual table, accessed via communication technology. Yet significant shifts in the communication process require cultural change. Mr. Rich suggests selecting champions within an organization to overcome these communication challenges. If providers see their peers using the latest technology, they will be more likely to follow suit and use the solutions as well. Instead of imposing incentives to push certain technologies, Mr. Rich recommends leaving it up to the providers. If you yield the power of social influence, where physician champions elevate certain technologies, the transformation will begin organically. Enhancing communication to de-stress the patient Improving the patient experience starts with proactive communication and education. By communicating clearly with Sponsored by: