As hospital administrators know, perhaps better than anyone, hospitals are complex organizations. Communication is a constant challenge, and it can take several months to implement even the smallest process change. After all of the paperwork, training and follow-up reviews, you may begin to question whether your amendments are truly improving the workspace, or simply adding more madness to the mayhem.
However, while failure to comply with some procedures, such as organizing supplies, may be a source of frustration, other procedures, such as those focused on patient-centered care, can have a major impact on your hospital’s success.
Here are a few ways you can improve patient-centered care in your hospital environment, and make sure it sticks.
There are plenty of things that change amidst the transition from childhood to adulthood. You no longer cry when your scoop of ice cream tumbles to the concrete, for example. And, more than likely, you no longer need the security of a teddy bear nightlight to ward off bad dreams. However, just because you’re paying your own bills and willingly consuming spinach doesn’t mean you’re suddenly immune to the pain and anxiety of a visit to the doctor.
As a child life specialist, when you’re called to a patient’s room, you never know what awaits on the other side of the door. In some cases, your services are needed to help calm the nerves of a toddler before she receives a vaccine. In other cases, you may walk in to find a hysterical child and his equally terrified parents. Sometimes you can bring a situation under control in a matter of minutes, but some take much, much longer.
