Delivering a Patient-Friendly Experience with Digital Technologies
For ambulatory surgery centers, medical procedures are an everyday occurrence performed with the confidence of knowing you have outstanding surgeons and clinicians to help ensure positive outcomes. However, for patients and their families, surgeries can sometimes be a scary and uncertain experience, especially if they don’t have good access to pre- and post-surgery information, they have doubts about the safety and quality of care, and there aren’t real-time updates for family members.
This is why surgery centers should look to create a patient-friendly and family-focused experience as they optimize other areas of their workflows and operations. One way to do this is by digitizing the patient journey and using digital technology to provide better information before and after surgeries, coordinate and deliver care, and provide real-time patient tracking and notifications for family members.
For example, many surgery centers are now implementing patient tablets, wall-mounted displays and software apps to share information about surgical procedures, both before and after a scheduled surgery. Good examples of the technologies behind these efforts include tablet-style digital kiosks and tablets, which integrate easily with EMR and patient communication systems to securely transmit select data and information.
Using information-sharing technologies like these puts patients at ease and gives them access to detailed but easy-to-navigate information about their procedure, what they can expect, preparation and post-op, and much more.
Similarly, software-enabled solutions can be deployed to track patients’ status in real time and provide updates and notifications for family members. Through tablets or displays in waiting areas or through secure texting and mobile apps, surgery centers can send notifications and share information at each stage of surgery, so family members know what’s happening, what to expect, and the status of the patient throughout their journey.
Additionally, by implementing the other technology strategies in this guide, surgery centers can create a more patient-friendly journey throughout the surgery experience. Whether it’s digitizing check-in, information sharing and family notifications, or leveraging mobility and automated data capture to better coordinate care and ensure safety, surgery centers who use technology to optimize the patient experience create a strongly positive impression.
Patients see that technology-driven centers are better organized, more efficient, and have access to vital patient records and medical information at their fingertips. Patients and their families experience a different level of care, and when they’re able to see and share information about their care and get real-time and accurate updates along the way, it builds immediate confidence and trust. That, in turn, builds a better reputation and leads to more referrals for surgery centers, which helps them grow their business.
