Paper Example on Patients' Communication: Improving Quality of Care at Torin Regional Hospital

Introduction

In recent years, patients’ communication has become a crucial activity that health centers consider in the treatment program. As such, patients play a vital role in providing healthcare experiences, which is used in improving the quality of care services (Rodriguez, 2018). Through communication, it is easier for a healthcare center to provide alternative ways of treatment, thus promoting patients’ satisfaction (Dalrymple et al., 2018). As a way of relying on the approach, Torin Regional Hospital needs to focus on numerous patient communication trends that have already been embraced by other organizations. Firstly, the growing health consumerism connection, which impacts health centers to highly focus on patients’ experience and expectations (Rodriguez, 2018). The communication trend requires that health care operations should be done in accordance with patients’ expectations (Poudel, 2016). As such, patients expect the health organization to provide great customer services, which is demonstrated by great values and making life easier, and this highly impacts consumer expectation (Braunstein, 2018). Additionally, the increased value of offering positive patient experience is another crucial communication trend (Dalrymple et al., 2018). Through embracing good communication, the health organization promotes a positive experience, thus enhancing patients’ loyalty (Lane et al., 2018). Finally, digital patient engagement is another communication trend that health centers highly rely on (Gordon & Catalini, 2018). The trend is conducted by engaging patients through the application of digital platforms and direct interaction. Therefore, the communication trend provides a continuous source of information regarding hospital performance.

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The Needs of Patients

Through interacting with numerous diverse groups, the communication trends assist health centers in understanding their needs, thus engaging activities and programs that promote their values. In this case, engaging activities that promote and protect patients’ value impact their satisfaction (Son & Nahm, 2019). As such, the health center effectively manages to handle individuals based on their diverse background (Braunstein, 2018). Additionally, embracing digital patient engagement helps health care centers to overcome barriers that occur due to cultural diversity (Dalrymple et al., 2018). Introducing activities such as language interpretation help the health care center to overcome the communication barrier that could be triggered by diverse community participation (Gordon & Catalini, 2018). Through engagement, it is easier for the health care center to understand what each group needs, thus introducing activities that could counter the existing barriers.

The trend promotes the accessibility of health information through creating platforms that a hospital may interact with different groups (Gordon & Catalini, 2018). For instance, the application of the digital system may give the health center a platform that can assist all members of the population in accessing health information (Lane et al., 2018). Additionally, direct interaction may assist the health center in learning and informing all people of the community about essential data regarding health care (Dalrymple et al., 2018). In particular, digital patient engagement will give the health center a platform to learn about all members’ expectations (Rodriguez, 2018). Through the approach, the health center will learn values and principles that they are supposed to focus on, thus improving patients’ experience.

Privacy of Patient

In all aspects of communication, participants’ privacy is a critical aspect that should be highly considered. Health care should be so concerned about the kind of communication trend they deploy as it may impact the ability of patients to share information (Dalrymple et al., 2018). The identified communication trends create an environment that highly protects patients’ privacy as they tend to concentrate more on information safeguarding (Son & Nahm, 2019). During the interaction, health care practitioners should not focus more on vital information, but instead, they should concentrate on general data regarding care services improvement (Son & Nahm, 2019). Additionally, the application of digital platforms should provide security systems that highly protect the privacy of patients. Security systems protect shared information from being exposed to a third party (Gordon & Catalini, 2018). For instance, when the health organization is using computer software, members should focus on a security mindset, which creates a culture that highly values and protects the patient’s data (Dalrymple et al., 2018). Legally, the communication trends comply with the Health Insurance and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requirement as they only all authorized individuals to access patients’ information (Son & Nahm, 2019). As such, the law protects the health care center from sharing the information without the patient’s consent (Poudel, 2016). Therefore, the communication trends ensure all information provided by patients is highly safeguard irrespective of the condition.

Interoperability and Continuous Care

Among the selected communication trends, the application of digital platform promotes the health center to focus on interoperability and continuous care (Rodriguez, 2018). The digital system creates an easier way that the health center may use to store information, thus improving understanding of patients’ expectations (Son & Nahm, 2019). Modern systems such as computer hardware and software provide a good platform that health centers may use to keep the information, which they can use to improve care services (Dalrymple et al., 2018). Additionally, communication connectivity is another crucial aspect that health care may use to improve interoperability and continuous care as it provides a good way to understand client demand (Son & Nahm, 2019). Through the approach, both the health care center and patients will be connected under one system, thus improving how information is shared (Son & Nahm, 2019). For instance, the application of software may assist the hospital in communicating to patients, thus sharing essential information that may be used to promote continuous care (Gordon & Catalini, 2018). Additionally, the platform will assist patients in providing their feedback and expectation, thus assisting the health organization in engaging programs that meet the needs of the population (Dalrymple et al., 2018). The health organization needs to consider the Electronic Health Information Exchange (eHie), which regulates how hospital use electronic devices when dealing with a patient (Rodriguez, 2018). In this case, the law regulates the kind of information a health organization may acquire from and give to a patient.

Patient Satisfaction

The three communication trends aim at creating a good ground that improves patients’ satisfaction. Usually, sharing information about the health condition of a patient improves their satisfaction as health practitioners have a good understanding of what patients need (Dalrymple et al., 2018). As such, embracing good communication helps to the attainment of quality care services as it assists in avoiding malpractices, which hinders patients’ satisfaction (Son & Nahm, 2019). Sharing information updates and empower patients on numerous activities they are required to embrace, thus improving their health standard (Gordon & Catalini, 2018). Additionally, the approach promotes the understanding of patients’ needs, thus ensuring all activities engaged in treatment programs are based on their choice (Dalrymple et al., 2018). The approach promotes the attainment of patients’ expectations, thus improving their relationship with health practitioners (Rodriguez, 2018). Communication connectivity helps to understand the complexity associated with a particular treatment program, and this promotes patients to comprehend all the treatment approaches (Gordon & Catalini, 2018). Furthermore, the application of the digital system provided accurate ways, which guarantee patients about safe treatment conditions. Therefore, embracing the system gives the patient the confidence to share information, which assists in improving care services.

References

Braunstein, M. L. (2018). Health care in the age of interoperability. The potential and challenges. IEEE Pulse.

Dalrymple, P. W., Rogers, M., Zach, L., & Luberti, A. (2018). Understanding internet access and use to facilitate patient portal adoption. Health Informatics Journal, 24(4), 368-378. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1460458216675497

Gordon, W. J., & Catalini, C. (2018). Blockchain technology for healthcare: facilitating the transition to patient-driven interoperability. Computational and Structural Biotechnology Journal, 16, 224-230. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S200103701830028X

Lane, S. R., Miller, H., Ames, E., Garber, L., Kibbe, D. C., Schneider, J. H., & DirectTrust Clinicians' Steering Group. (2018). Consensus statement: Feature and function recommendations to optimize clinician usability of direct interoperability to enhance patient care. Applied Clinical Informatics, 9(01), 205-220. https://www.thieme-connect.com/products/ejournals/html/10.1055/s-0038-1637007

Poudel, S. (2016). Internet of Things: Underlying technologies, interoperability, and threats to privacy and security. Berkeley Technology Law Journal, 31(2), 997-1022. https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Internet-of-Things%3A-Underlying-Technologies%2C-and-to-Poudel/d5a5e39bd5fad3e8dc3eeb4e35564c8df208ca7d?p2df

Rodriguez, E. S. (2018, May). Using patient portals to increase engagement in patients with cancer. In Seminars in Oncology Nursing (Vol. 34, No. 2, pp. 177-183). WB Saunders.

Son, H., & Nahm, E. S. (2019). Older adults’ experience using patient portals in communities: Challenges and opportunities. CIN: Computers, Informatics, Nursing, 37(1), 4-10.